The Legend of the Lost Cavern
by Broken Stone
Summary: SPOILERS FOR AT WORLD'S END! Two years after the third movie Elizabeth finds herself bored with her life after all the adventures are over. So when a certain pirate captain comes knocking, she's more than happy to join him in a search for a lost treasure.
1. The Passage Of Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters blah blah blah you all know the rest. **

**DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE THIRD FILM AND YOU DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!**

**Two years after the events of At World's End, Elizabeth finds herself bored with her life after all the adventures are over. So when a certain pirate captain comes knocking, she's more than happy to join him in a search for a lost treasure.**

**The Legend of the Lost Cavern**

**Chapter One**

**The Passage Of Time**

It had rained during the night. There had been a fierce storm the night before and although the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful, vivid blue, Port Royal was recovering from the storm. There were piles of leaves torn from the palms, tiles that had been ripped from houses, boats and ships that had been damaged even though they had been safely moored in the habour and plenty of cleaning up to do. A handful of people had been lost in the storm and there were searches for them, dead or alive.

Thomas Rochford walked slowly through the streets, quietly watching the people as they went about the usual business that engaged the town after a tropical storm. He was whistling softly under his breath and he was looking for someone. A few people nodded to him, a few said some words of greeting but he wasn't really interested in any of them.

He had come to the Caribbean from England some six months ago on a cargo ship and had worked as a member of the crew to pay for his passage. His parents had both died and, although they had left him a small inheritance that had left him by no means destitute, he had shut up their house and come to the Caribbean in search of adventure and the experience of life in a country so different to his home. He had heard many tales of sailors and even a few men who claimed to be pirates and had fallen in love with the notion of sailing the high seas. On actually experiecing life sailing on the high seas he was rather disillusioned.

Thomas was a teacher by trade; he had done some work as a private tutor, and had got some work in Port Royal teaching the children of people from England. It was whilst he had been teaching some of these children that he had met the woman he was now looking for.

Elizabeth Turner. He had met her at the house of a friend soon after his arrival. She had been visiting, although he didn't know exactly why. She had spoken briefly to him, had been polite but distant and had left soon after.

Although they had exchanged only a few words since, he had been captivated by the beautiful young woman and he would be lying if he claimed that she had nothing to do with his decision to stay in the Caribbean. She wasn't the only reason, but she was certainly one of them. Thomas had spent a lot of time trying to find out about her and had asked tactful questions of various residents of the town, trying to keep his interest in her as carefully hidden as possible.

'She's the daughter of the old governor of Port Royal,' one person told him. 'Her father died on a trip back to England about two years ago.'

'She was engaged to Will Turner, the blacksmith,' someone else told him. 'They got married, she says.'

'Will Turner was lost at sea,' another local said. 'But she doesn't consider herself a widow, she always says he'll come back some day.'

'But most people think it's wishful thinking,' another person said.

'Poor girl's grieving for her lost love,' one said sadly. 'She won't accept he's gone and won't be coming back. Most who are lost at sea stay lost at sea.'

'They was both to be convicted for helping a pirate escape,' a local gossip said, eyes shining as she recounted the tale. 'See, Miss Elizabeth was kidnapped and young Will, he goes after them and they all comes back with a rogue of a pirate and then they help him escape! Such an adventure!'

'She's a good woman,' another said. 'Take on anyone, will Miss Elizabeth.'

'He were a fine man, that Will Turner,' one woman said, smiling. 'Love of Miss Elizabeth's life, from the day they met, anyone could see that.'

But Thomas was not discouraged. He figured that he was at least as good a man as a common blacksmith and resolved to first befriend, then court, the young widow. He sought her out on innocent pretexts, borrowed and lent books and talked about music and sought advice about dealing with this person or another. They talked; she was polite but never very friendly, and she struck him as being very intelligant and accomplished. He sensed that she was a strong and independent woman; the fact that she had returned to Port Royal after the loss of her father and her husband, living on the generous inheritance she had been left, and spending her days helping the less fortunate in the town. She did charity work and she taught the orphans and poor children to read and write.

If he knew her, and he thought he did, she would be somewhere in the town helping the poor people rebuild their homes and clean up after the fierce storm.

And there she was, down at the harbour. She was playing with several young, thin children, laughing and running with the filthy children, even in her expensive and heavy gown. For a moment he wondered what she was doing.

Then she saw him.

'Hello, Mr Rochford,' she called. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and continued, 'Have you come to join us?'

'I came down to see if there was anything I could do, to help after last night,' he said hastily.

'Really?' She was smiling in a way that made him wonder if she knew his feelings for her. 'Would you like to play with us?'

_Just with you,_ he thought of saying. 'Of course,' he said carefully, eyeing the ragged and dirty children.

'No, you wouldn't,' she replied. Ruffling the hair of one of the children, she said, 'I have to go now. Have fun.'

The children complained as she walked way but she waved and they waved back.

'So what really brings you here, Mr Rochford?' she inquired as they walked back along the edge of the harbour.

'I told you,' he replied politely.

'Oh, yes, so you did,' she said, still smiling. There was a group of people sat on the dock repairing fishing nets. They nodded and smiled at her as the two of them walked past.

'People here like you, Mrs Turner,' he said. 'You're very popular.'

'My father was a good governor,' she said. 'And my husband was liked here.'

'Your husband,' he said slowly. 'You don't talk much about him.' There was a question in his voice.

'It's painful,' she said quietly, looking out towards the distant ocean, her expression far-away. 'I miss him.'

'Of course,' he nodded. He didn't ask what he really wanted to ask.

'I must go,' she said thoughtfully. 'Good day, Mr Rochford.'

He sighed heavily, watching her walk away.

Elizabeth walked as quickly as possible without trying to make it look as if she was trying to get away. Mr Thomas Rochford was becoming a thorn in her side. It had been obvious her from the day they had met that he was too interested in her for her liking. He seemed a nice enough man, but he had not yet taken the hint that she was not remotely interested in him. He was nice and safe and a teacher. He was ordinary.

Life had been both easy and difficult for the past two years. It had been easy because she now had a home and an inheritance to live off of, people to help, things to keep her busy and no longer had a price on her head.

And life had been difficult because she couldn't share every day with the man she loved.

She missed Will desperately.

Sometimes she still cried herself to sleep at night because he wasn't there beside her.

It had been two years since he had left, since she had last seen him. She had thrown herself into trying to help people because it filled the hole in her life. She missed the freedom she had enjoyed whilst pirating, missed the freedom of her old if short-lived career as a pirate. It had been difficult to adjust back to a quiet life and in truth she hadn't adjusted well. She longed to return to the sea.

But something had stopped her. Many times she could have sailed away, she had several chances to do so, but always something stopped her. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something. Something coming. Something she was waiting for. And she would know when it came.

_Keep a weather eye on the horizon…_


	2. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow

**Chapter Two**

**I'm Captain Jack Sparrow**

A distraction arrived a couple of weeks later in the form of an old friend.

Early in the morning, there was a pounding knock at the front door of Elizabeth's house. A servant went to the door, a little bewildered, since no one was expected to be visiting, at least not by the front door and it was very early.

The man opened the door and was greeted by a flamboyant figure dressed in dirty, ragged clothes and an absurd hat positioned at a jaunty angle and a wide grin.

'Who the hell are you?' the servant exclaimed, shocked and slightly mortified.

The outlandish character looked offended. 'I'm Captain Jack Sparrow,' he said, his smile fading, then it bounced back. 'Elizabeth Turner lives here?'

'I don't see that it's any concern of yours,' the servant replied coldly and shut the door.

Jack Sparrow inserted his boot into the crack of the door and shoved it open. 'Tell her I'm here, savvy?'

'Tell her a filthy pirate is here to see her?' the man said, looking Jack up and down with an expression of disgust. 'I hardly think so.'

'She'll see me,' Jack assured him.

'Go away, you filth,' the servant replied and then froze as the pirate aimed a pistol at him.

Jack smiled. 'Go tell her Captain Jack Sparrow is here to see her. Savvy?'

Elizabeth dashed down the stairs, wrapping a thick dressing gown around her. She hadn't even bothered to brush her hair. 'Jack!' she exclaimed, delighted.

'Hello, darlin,' Jack greeted her with a wide grin. 'As lovely as ever. How's life treating you?'

'Never mind that,' she said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. Before he could protest, she gave him a huge hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. He backed off, pulling a face and rubbing at his cheek.

She laughed. 'It's good to see you, Jack.' Gesturing for him to follow her, she went into one of the rooms and closed the door. Sitting down, she asked, 'What brings you to Port Royal, Captain Sparrow?'

'Could just be for the pleasure of your company, love,' he replied. Not bothering to sit down, he started poking around the room, looking at the ornaments and paintings and disregarding those, nosing through boxes and inside vases and opening cupboards and closing them again with a disgruntled look.

'You expect me to believe that?' Elizabeth replied, smiling.

He shrugged. 'Worth a try.'

'You know, Jack, I would never have thought that you would ever have the nerve to actually come and knock at the door of my house,' she said. 'Would you like some tea?'

'Tea?' He stared at her blankly. 'I don't suppose you have any rum?'

Elizabeth smirked. 'No.'

'Oh.' He looked disappointed.

'Jack, why are you here?' she asked as he resumed his restless wanderng of the room.

He glanced out of the window, brow furrowed in thought, and then he spun and treated her to a wide, charming grin.

'What would you say to a matter of adventure on the high seas, love?' he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. 'More adventure? What kind of adventure?'

'Roaming the perilous seas, searching for lost and ancient and famous treasure?' he suggested.

Elizabeth lent back in her chair and knowing that she would probably regret asking this, said, 'What kind of treasure? Where would we be going?'

His grin widened. 'There's this cavern,' he siad.

'And?'

'It's called the Cavern of the Lost and it is – well, lost. Legend tells that this cavern was the hiding place of the greatest known treasure in the all the world but no one knows where it is. Savvy?'

'No,' Elizabeth said, folding her arms. 'That's all this place is? A lost treasure horde?'

'Well, it's more a lost treasure horde,' Jack replied, waving his hands to indicate that this didn't actually matter very much. 'Lost treasure, treasure of the lost, who cares? It's there and it's up for grabs.'

'And you know where it is because you have the compas,' she continued.

He nodded. 'Got it in one, love.'

'Why are you here and not there, then?' she asked.

'Well, see love, I need a ship and a crew,' Jack explained, sitting down and dumping his feet on the table. 'And since I find myself temporarily without either – '

'You lost the Pearl again.'

He sniffed. 'You want to give me a ship and crew or not?'

'How did you lose the Pearl again?'

He scowled and mumbled something.

She smiled. 'What was that?'

'Barbossa sailde off with her and left me marooned. Again. Except this time he did leave me marooned at a port so it's not quite as bad as last time – but back to the matter at hand, love. A ship and a crew.'

'You just expect me to give them to you?'

'Course not! I expect you to come with me.' He grinned at her expression. 'Come on, darlin. You weren't going to give me a ship and crew without adding yourself to it, were you? And you think I'd sail off into the horizon without you?'

'Yes,' she replied.

He sniffed. 'I'd have every reason to, what with you having killed me in the past but since knowing you, you'd insist that I could only have a ship and a crew if you was part of it – call it foresight, darlin.'

There was a pause.

'Jack, what aren't you telling me?' she asked.

'Nothing,' he said innocently. But there was a glint in his eye and a sardonic twist to his mouth that told her that he was, of course, not telling her the whole truth. But trying to get the whole truth out of Jack was like trying to converse with a brick wall so she gave up.

'So tell me more aboutt his treasure,' she said, leaning forwards intently. 'What are you looking frm the treasure? There must be one thing there that you want?'

He thought. 'Nah, just the treasure,' he said. 'And the fame and that comes with finding a legendary lost treasure.'

'You were never in anything just for the fame and money,' Elizabeth replied.

'Can't you just pretend to believe me?' he asked.

She shrugged. 'I'm that bored, Jack, I might just do that.'

'So what say you?' he asked intently.

She ignored the question for the moment. 'When would you want to leave?'

'Soon as everything's ready.'

'Is there anyone else looking for this treasure?'

'Who would, when no one else knows where it is?'

'That never stopped any pirates I knew,' Elizabeth pointed out.

He waved a hand dismissively. 'It's an adventure, Captain Swann.' He grinned at the reminder of their last adventure together. 'It's an adventure on the seas, no knowing where you'd be going or who you'd be meeting or what kind of beastie you might end up fighting and we both know that this isn't the kind of life you can say no to. Right, darlin?'

Elizabeth looked at him silently for a few moments. She should have known better than to trust him again, should have known better than to take up the offer of another adventure but –

'What say you?' he asked again.

'Aye,' she said, smiling.


	3. Now Bring Me That Horizon

**Chapter Three**

**Now Bring Me That Horizon**

'That's such a pretty boat,' Jack said mistily. He was stood at the edge of the dock, looking up at the ship that they would be sailing on.

'Ship,' Elizabeth said, walking up towards him. She was dressed in black trousers, white shirt and a long black coat, tough leather boots and a hat perched on her head at a light angle. There was a sword at her left hip, along with a pistol. Jack eyed her thoughtfully for a moment, wondering how many other knives, pistols and various items of weaponry she was carrying.

'_The Wandering Albatross_,' she continued. 'She's a good ship, Jack?'

He sniffed. 'She'll do,' he said.

Elizabeth smiled. 'And we've got ourselves a crew,' she said. 'A good crew, for the most part,' she added, sounding slightly worried. 'Your friends Mister Gibbs is on board.'

Jack nodded. 'Yeah, I thought he might be.' He flipped open his compass and looked down at it. It spun crazily and eventually settled. Then it spun again, stopping and pointing in yet another direction. A strange smile passed over his face as he looked at it. Seeing her looking at him and the compass, he snapped it shut.

'Is it broken again?' she asked. 'Or do you just not know what you want again?'

'I know what I want,' Jack informed her haughtily.

'But?' she prompted.

He looked away and strolled off down the dock. Elizabeth followed. 'Jack?'

'What, love?' he said.

'The compass. If it's not broken, why isn't it pointing in one direction only? It's pointing two directions.'

'Is it?' he asked innocently.

She dodged in front of him. 'Jack.'

He opened his mouth, closed it, and thought. 'Don't worry yourself, love.'

'Are we going to be able to find this treasure?' she continued. 'If your compass is broken – '

'The compass is not broken,' he said impatiently.

'So there's more than one thing you want,' she guessed.

He sniffed again. 'We're going to find the Lost Cavern, darlin. That's all you need to know.'

'Why does that fail to reassure me, I wonder?' she responded, following him as he wandered back in the direction they had come. She was about to ask him more when an unfortunately familiar figure appeared.

'Mrs Turner?' Thomas Rochford said. He was staring at her, looking slightly shocked at her attire and the company she was keeping.

'Mr Rochford,' she said tightly, smiling coldly. 'How interesting to see you. May I help you?'

Thomas stared from Elizabeth to Jack, frowning in obvious disgust at the pirate. Jack looked up in the air, humming quietly to himself and avoiding the other man's eyes.

'Is this man bothering you?' Thomas asked her.

'No,' Elizabeth assured him. 'Captain Sparrow is an old – friend.' She gave Jack a quick smile.

Thomas glanced up at The Wandering Albatross. 'I hear rumours in the town that this is your ship,' he said.

'They're more than rumours, Mr Rochford,' she replied. Jack ambled away and she frowned at him for leaving her with Thomas. 'This is my ship.'

'Where are you going?'

'Does it matter?' she asked.

'Surely a lady of your standing cannot be sailing away on a ship of – men of less than impeachable character,' Thomas spluttered. His face had gone red, she noticed with some amusement. 'These men, I've seen the crew, they're ruffians! And that one – ' he pointed to Jack, 'I'm sure that one is a pirate.'

'That's me,' Jack said cheerfully.

'I cannot simply stand by and watch you put your safety into the hands of such men, Miss Elizabeth,' Thomas said urgently.

Elizabeth began to walk away. 'My safety is hardly your concern, Mr Rochford.'

'It is, when I consider you – a friend,' he said, hurrying after her.

She rolled her eyes but her tone was polite as she turned. 'You do not need to worry about me, Mr Rochford.'

'Please call me Thomas,' he said quietly.

'I don't need protection,' she said intently. 'I really don't.'

'At least allow me to accompany you,' he continued.

Jack, who had been listening surreptitiously, gave Rochford a horrified look. He shook his head furiously at Elizabeth. Rochford glanced over at him and Jack went back to intently studying the sky.

'Why?' she demanded.

'You must have someone you can trust, Mrs Turner,' he said.

She simply looked at him, then shrugged. 'If you think you can handle such an adventure, then come along. We leave at sunrise.'

'So soon?' he said, startled.

'The sea waits for no man, Mr Rochford,' she called over her shoulder. 'And no woman, either. I wish to leave soon. We meet the horizon at sunrise.' She turned on her heel and strode away.

* * *

As _The Wandering Albatross_ sailed out of port early the next morning, Elizabeth said to Jack, 'This must be a new experience for you, not having anyone chasing you out of a port.'

He shrugged. 'It's a novelty, I'll give you that.'

They stood in silence for a few minutes as around them the crew went about their business.

'And you've got your own little puppy following you,' Jack continued. He was grinning hugely, clearly amused.

She gritted her teeth. 'He won't leave me alone. What am I supposed to do with a man who won't take a hint?'

'You could knock him overboard,' Jack suggested.

For a moment she looked tempted, then shook her head quickly. 'No, I couldn't.'

'Do it quickly, no one will notice,' he urged.

She laughed. '_Jack._'

Thomas was watching them, not quite close enough to have heard the previous comments but, as the pirate and the young woman continued to converse he crept a little closer, desperate to find out anything that might get him closer to Elizabeth Turner. They were both to intent upon their conversation that they didn't notice that he was within earshot.

'You are troubled, darlin,' Jack said moments later.

'How could you tell?' she replied, smiling slightly.

'Come on, Lizzie,' he said, turning and leaning with his back against the rail. 'Woman like you isn't going to be happy unless she's battling pirates or burning barrels of rum or running off after pirates or becoming king of the pirates or getting herself made captain of a ship or breaking curses. Adventure like this should be everything you want, so what's troubling you?'

'I miss Will,' Elizabeth said. Her eyes darkened and she looked suddenly sad.

'I guessed as much, darling,' Jack said.

'I miss him so much, Jack. It hurts so much that I don't know how I can carry on like this.' She shook her head and looked down at the dark water flowing swiftly past the ship.

'I always thought it was very romantic, the way he gave you the chest,' Jack said, looking out across the open ocean.

'He said it always belonged to me,' she said.

Jack nodded, wrinkling his nose. 'Just the kind of gesture Will would make.'

'Within a couple of days I lost the two most important people in my life, Jack,' she said, not looking at him. 'It's been so difficult. I've got everything most women would want, a secure home, money to live off of. But I wanted more, Jack. And Will and I had more and now – he's gone. Sailed off into the sunset and I had to stay behind.'

'Oh, he'll be back,' Jack said airily.

She gave him a dirty look. 'In eight years, Jack.'

'It's a long time,' he conceeded glumly, then brightened. 'But you never know what's on the horizen, aye?'

She shook her head and sighed. 'Whatever you say, Jack.' She walked away, her head bowed in deep thought. Jack let her go.

Thomas had listened to all of this with increasing bewilderment. Pirates, captains, curses, rum? There was certainly far more to Elizabeth Turner than he had ever imagined and he wasn't sure he liked it.

'You don't stand a chance, mate,' a voice said from behind him.

Thoms looked around in shock.

'Been listening in, have we?' Jack continued. 'We all knows why you came on this little trip, mate. And I'm telling you now, you're not her type.'

'And how would you know that?' Thomas asked coldly, looking down his nose at the pirate.

'See, I know her husband,' Jack replied smugly. 'And you're nothing like him.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Thomas demanded.

'No pirate in your blood, mate,' Jack said as he ambled off down the deck.


	4. All Hands On Deck

_Well, I was surprised at how much people seem to like this fic! I'm a massive POTC fan, and after seeing the third movie the day it was released, I loved it so much that I was desperate to write a fan fic. Some old characters and some new will be turning up, and there'll be lots of fun and rum-drinking on the way to the Lost Cavern! I'm trying to update as often as possible and if anyone has any ideas at all, you all know I'm always open to suggestions and I do acknowledge them! Thanks everyone!_

**Chapter Four**

**All Hands On Deck**

'There's a storm coming in, Captain!' Mister Gibbs yelled across the deck.

'Aye,' Jack said quietly. He was watching the rapidly approaching bank of low-lying, almost black cloud sweeping across the horizon. The compass was in his hand. When Elizabeth looked over his shoulder, he didn't hide the bearings from her. As she looked away, she saw the compass spin again but Jack snapped it shut before she could see where it stopped.

'Best get ready for that storm, love,' he said.

'Where is that compass pointing for us to go?' she asked him.

'I told you, the Lost Cavern,' Jack replied.

'We're back to our previous conversation. Why is it giving you two different bearings?' she demanded. 'There are two things you want, yes? One is this Cavern and the treasure – what's the other?'

'Never you mind,' he told her.

'Why does everything always have to be a mystery with you, Jack?' she asked. The wind was blowing more strongly now and Elizabeth had to raise a hand to keep her hat from blowing off.

Jack pulled a face. 'Once bitten, love.'

'Twice shy,' she nodded. 'But I'm not going to leave you marooned on a god-forsaken spit of land, am I?'

'More fun this way,' he told her. 'Now if you don't mind, I have a ship to take care of and a storm to weather. He scurried off down the deck.

'How did you come to fall into such company, Mrs Turner?' Thomas asked her, approaching her cautiously.

'Such company?' she said coolly, turning away from him and looking out to sea and watching the coming storm.

'Pirates. Anyone can tell this is not a crew of honest men. Especially those two.' He gestured towards Jack, at the helm, and Gibbs, who was bellowing orders to the crew.

'You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest,' Elizabeth said, recalling something that Will had told her Jack had said once. 'Why should you be bothered by the company I keep, Mr Rochford? It's none of your concern.'

'I care for you, Mrs Turner,' he said softly. 'I care for you very deeply.'

She smiled gently at him. 'You don't know me, Mr Rochford.'

'I know you well enough to know how much I care about you,' he said intently, trying to make her see.

'No, you don't,' she said, more firmly now. 'You know a little bit about the rich young woman who lives in Port Royal, widow and daughter of the late governor, who helps the poor and teaches orphans to read and write. But that isn't the real me, Mr Rochford. I've sailed the seas and I've met pirates and I've fought monsters and you do not know me'

'I beg to differ,' he said.

'If you wish,' she shrugged. 'I have tried to hint that your attentions were unwelcome but since you have failed to take heed, I must tell you straight. If you truly believe that there can or will ever be anything other than at best, a lukewarm friendship between us, then you are deluding yourself. Better for you to find a woman who wants your attentions. I do not.' She moved to walk away.

He caught her arm. 'I care for you,' he said harshly. 'And you – ' he froze.

Elizabeth smiled coldly as he registered the touch of cold steel against his throat from her sword blade. She had drawn it so fast that he hadn't even realised she had done so.

He tried to smile. 'You shouldn't handle a weapon you don't know how to use.'

'What makes you think I don't know how to use it?' she asked quietly. Her eyes were angry and her tone was cold. 'My husband taught me how to use a sword and I know how to shoot – '

'Your husband,' he said, smirking. 'Was he really your husband? I heard you were engaged but no one knows anything of a wedding, except one that was interrupted – and isn't your husband dead, anyway? Lost at sea, I heard. You're clinging to the past, Mrs Turner.'

'At sea, but not lost,' she replied, not moving the sword from his neck.

'Then he abandoned you,' Rochford said. 'And what kind of man abandons a woman like you?'

'I could never expect you to understand,' she said and sheathed her sword, stepping back. 'You shouldn't have come, Mr Rochford. I think you're going to regret it.'

'Won't leave you alone?' Jack asked as Elizabeth joined him at the helm.

'I can deal with him,' she replied.

'I've no doubt of that,' Jack said.

'Good.' She squinted at the horizon. 'Storm's about to hit.'

The storm did hit within the hour and when it hit, it hit hard. Freezing cold rain poured down upon the deck, the waves rose and fell, lifting high and falling deeply, tossing _The Wandering Albatross_ about as if it were a toy boat in a tub.

The crew were racing about, trying to keep their balance on the treacherous deck.

'Take the wheel!' Jack yelled at Elizabeth.

She took it. 'Where are you going?' she yelled back.

'Got to get something!' he holled at her and ran off down the deck.

'Jack!' Elizabeth shouted. '_Jack!_' A wave of icy water hit her directly in the face and she spluttered, coughing and trying to wipe water out of her eyes and as she did so, she saw what happened next but, at the wheel, was unable to stop it.

Running down the deck, Jack slipped on the water-logged deck and, at the same moment, the ship was tossed to one side and it rocked perilously. He rolled, hitting the side, and was plunged into the sea with a mournful wail.

'Man overboard!' Gibbs bellowed.

'Cast a line!' Elizabeth shouted. 'Cast a line!'

A rope was hurled and the tiny little dot in the water that was Jack Sparrow waved desperately and tried to grab the line but he was dragged under and disappeared.

'The Captain's gone,' Gibbs shouted, above the howl of the storm, looking at up Elizabeth. 'What say you, Captain Turner?'

'Captain Swann,' she corrected softly.

'Captain?' Thomas cried incredulously. 'You're going to be captain? Surely that's a man's job – '

'Elizabeth's the captain and captain she'll be,' Gibbs shouted menacingly. 'Anyone else got a problem with that?'

There was a murmur as the crew shook their heads.

'Good,' Gibbs said, looking satisfied. 'Your orders, Captain?'

'Make for port,' Elizabeth replied bleakly. 'We make for port.'


	5. Fished Out Of Water

**Chapter Five**

**Fished Out Of Water**

Jack opened his eyes. And groaned. Then closed them again, hoping that the pain would recede. It didn't.

He was lying on his back, on what felt like the deck of a ship. The floor was swaying and rocking, and he could smell salt water on the air. There were voices, indistinct, but shouting and definitely the voices of sailors.

'Well, well, Captain Jack Sparrow,' a familiar voice said. It sounded amused. 'What a surprise. Or knowing you, not.'

Jack opened his eyes again and squinted. As the blurs of colour that made up his vision swirled and gradually cleared, he made out the figure of a young man with longish dark hair and dark eyes, looking down at him with barely concealed amusement.

He sat up, wrinkled his nose and sniffed. 'Will Turner,' he observed.

'That's Captain Turner,' another voice, one of the crew, said sharply.

Will waved a hand. 'Captain Sparrow knew me when I was a blacksmith.' He held out a hand and hauled Jack to his feet. 'Well, you're not dead so you're free to go,' he informed the pirate.

'Any chance of a lift?' Jack asked hopefully.

Will raised an eyebrow. 'Going anywhere in particular?'

'You so hasty to get rid of me?'

'If I don't, trouble is probably going to come and follow us very quickly,' Will replied, although he was smiling.

'Like you have anything to fear from trouble now,' Jack said, grinning.

Will paused. 'Fair point. Where to, Jack?'

'Well, see, that's the thing,' Jack said slowly.

Will closed his eyes briefly and sighed. 'Gone on,' he said wearily.

'What?' Jack asked, all innocence.

'What is it this time?'

Jack frowned. 'You know, you were more fun when you were a clueless idiot with a distressing damsel to constently rescue.'

'You're the one who told me the pirate was in my blood,' Will replied evenly. 'In fact, you're the one who introduced me to the life of a pirate in the first place.' He glanced around at the rest of the crew watching in silence and said, 'We'll talk in my cabin.'

'Nice place, this,' Jack said, nosing around the cabin. He lifted lids and moved books and looked through drawers, taking an apple from a bowl on the table. Will relaxed into a chair and watched the other pirate as he roamed the room, looking out the windows and examining the woodwork.

'How's life?' Jack continued cheerfully. 'Life on the high seas. And you never wanted to be a pirate.'

'Why are you here, Jack?' Will asked.

'But I'm not calling you captain,' Jack added, examining a telescope critically.

Will ignored the comment. 'Are you going to answer my question?'

'What was it, again?'

'Why are you here?'

'Got washed overboard, didn't I mate?' Jack wrinkled his nose. 'Bit of an accident during last night's storm. But you came along and rescued me, savvy?'

'Fine. What port do you want to dock at?'

'It's not quite a port,' Jack said carefully.

Will closed his eyes briefly. 'Jack, give me a straight answer for once in your life.'

'Oh, all right,' Jack said, as if Will were ruining his fun by insisting on a straight answer. 'I was out seeking a lost treasure.'

'Another one? You mean you haven't learnt your lesson yet?'

Jack gave him a dirty look. 'You want to hear this story or not?'

Will waved a hand, gesturing for Jack to continue.

'There's this place called the Lost Cavern,' Jack said, sitting down and sticking his feet up on the table. 'No one knows where it is, if it even exists and the only thing for sure that anyone knows about it is that there's treasure hidden.'

'What kind of treasure?'

'Who knows?' Jack replied. 'And I am sailing there to discover the lost treasure of the Lost Cavern. Except I got washed overboard.'

'You want me to find the Black Pearl for you and take you there?'

'No,' Jack said flatly. 'It's not the Pearl.'

Will tried not to smile. 'You lost her again, didn't you?'

Jack wrinkled his nose. 'That's not the point. So if you could drop me off at the Lost Cavern, I'd be much obliged to you.'

'We'll drop you off near a port,' Will said. 'We should be coming close to land soon enough. You can get a ship from there.'

'I already got a ship!' Jack protested. 'Took me a great deal of time and persuasion to acquire her – '

'Commandeer, you mean.'

'No, actually, this one I got legally,' Jack said, sounding rather depressed.

'Who are you and what have you done with Jack Sparrow?'

'Very funny,' Jack said flatly.

Will laughed. 'So you want me to drop you off at your ship – '

'Are you not listening, Will? My ship is going to be wandering off to the Lost Cavern – '

'How are they going to find it if no one knows where it is?'

'Will, just shut up and listen. You might as well simply drop me off where I want to go because my ship is going to be there, rather than wandering off all over the sea looking for my ship. Savvy?'

'You have the compass. Why don't you use it?'

Jack scowled. 'It's not working for me at the moment,' he said hastily.

'Why do I get the feeling that there's more to this than you're telling me?'

'No idea, mate.'

'I'm disinclined to trust you,' Will informed him.

'After everything I've done for you, mate?'

'Yes, because of everything you've done for me. And I've got the distinct feelign that this isn't so much a search for lost treasure as a search for some serious trouble.'

'Oh come on mate, don't you want some adventure?' Jack complained.

Will stared at him. 'I'm an undead pirate captain crewing a legendary ghost ship of undead pirates. How much adventure do you think I need?' He knew there was something wrong here, something that Jack wasn't telling him. But then again, there always was and there was one thing you could always say about helping Jack Sparrow – it was never dull.

'Fair point,' Jack said, pretending to think this over. 'But what would you say if I told you that if you come with me where I want to go and then by going where I want to go you could see your bonny lass because she's going to be where I want to go because I peruaded her to go along to where I want to go along to?'

'You were sailing with Elizabeth?' Will said sharply. His face paled. 'Where is she?'

'Well, how would I know?' Jack asked. 'I got swept overboard.'

'That's helpful, Jack. Do you have a heading for where she's going to be?'

Jack inhaled, as if to speak, then stopped. 'No.'

Will tucked his thumbs into his belt. '_Jack_.'

Jack held out a hand. Will was silent.

It was the compass.

'What do you want most in the world?' Jack asked softly.

_What do we think? Happy to see Will again or wish he'd stayed gone? Hope you all enjoyed! I know I've been updating very quickly, but my updates might be a little slow soon because I'm moving house soon. Anyways, ideas and reviews are always welcome! _


	6. Yo Ho And A Bottle Of Rum

**Author's Note: Just mentioning that Elizabeth swears a couple of times in this one. Thanks so much for all the reviews, I had no idea people were going to like this fic so much!**

**Chapter Six**

**Yo Ho And A Bottle Of Rum**

'I've never seen the attraction of rum,' Elizabeth said, wrinkling her nose.

Mister Gibbs took a long swig of his tankard. 'Aye, Jack told me about you burning all the rum.'

She smirked at the memory. 'What is it with pirates and rum, anyway?' she continued, looking around the stinking tavern. It had a low ceiling, a chandelier loaded with candles that spilled wax all over the floor and anyone wandering underneath, filled with the stench of – Elizabeth preferred not to think about that. It was filled with pirates and scoundrels and ruffians of all sorts, all drunk or getting there.

The soles of her boots were sticking to the floor. Elizabeth grimaced and took a seat at one of the tables. Gibbs handed her a tankard of rum. She sighed and sipped it.

Thomas sat down next to her, fastidiously attempting not to touch the surface of the table. 'This is a vile place,' he said in a low voice.

For some reason, although she knew he was right, that irritated her. She took a long swig of rum and said, 'Is it? Have you had any rum?'

'No,' he said shortly, not bothering to hide his disgust.

Gibbs looked from one to the other, taking in Elizabeth's angry expression and gulped down the contents of his cup. 'Oh, I'm all out of rum,' he said. 'Better go get some more!'

'What's wrong with you?' Thomas asked Elizabeth. 'The loss of that crazy pirate?'

'Jack Sparrow is an old friend,' Elizabeth replied shortly.

'A friend.' Thomas smiled. 'A pirate can't be a friend, Elizabeth. Don't you know that? Don't you realise that?'

She looked at him. 'And what would you know about it?' she asked quietly.

He was taken aback by the hostile look she gave him. 'Well, everyone knows – ' he stuttered.

Anything else he might have said, and the ensuing argument, was halted by the return of Gibbs.

'There's something you might want to know, Captain,' he said hastily, beckoning for Elizabeth to follow him. Frowning, curious and a little concerned, she followed him. Thomas was about to go with them when Elizabeth gave him a furious glare and he decided to stay sat at the table, on his own.

'What is it, Mister Gibbs?' she asked quietly.

'You see that band of men over there?' he said, pointing.

She nodded. 'Another band of pirates. That's not so unusual here.'

'To be sure, but I heard them talking, Captain, and you'll never guess where they're going.'

Her eyes narrowed. 'The Lost Cavern.'

He nodded.

'I though Jack said that no one knew where it was, except possibly for him.'

'Aye, so he did.'

She shook her head. 'Wonderful. Another one of Jack Sparrow's schemes. Do you know anything about this band?'

'Aye, their ship's _The Seacrawler_. Captain's also a woman, Kira deVere. I've encountered her before, she's a ruthless sort, beautiful and intelligant and as merciless as the sea.' He looked around. 'No sign of her right now, all to the good because she knows I'm one of Jack's mate.'

'She a friend of Jack's?'

'I wouldn't that, exactly,' Gibbs said carefully.

'Then what you say?'

'I'd say she's try and kill him if she ever saw him again.'

Elizabeth nodded. 'She'd have to wait in line.' She turned on her heel and strode away, swearing softly under her breath.

'Captain?' Gibbs hurried after her.

'I am going to kill bloody Jack Sparrow next time I see him, if I ever see him again! Bloody pirates!' she fumed, resisting the urge to stamp her feet and scream and throw a childish tantrum.

'Now, there's no call for getting all upset,' Gibbs said quickly, trying to calm her down.

'No call? No call? The rum-soaked, lying son of a bitch has been playing with us all over again, Gibbs! Schemes and - and – schemes and I really am going to beat him to a pulp or at the very least shoot him if he survived that storm! You hear me?!' she yelled in his face.

He fell silent in shock.

'_And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum, the devil himself would have to call them scum_,' one pirates sang loudly and badly as he meandered past, conducting along with him with a bottle and a tankard.

Furious, unable to quite resist, Elizabeth gave him a shove. He overbalanced, crashed into a table, spilling the occupants and their drinks all over the floor, and the men set upon him furiously. They knocked into a woman who was carrying a tray of drinks; she fell and as she rightened herself she spun and punched an innocent bystander who instantly turned and punched his neighbour and within moments, there was a full scale brawl raging.

'Now look what you done,' Gibbs said to her. 'Feel better?'

'Not really,' Elizabeth replied. Turning around, she almost walked into Thomas. He had obviously heard everything that had passed between her and Gibbs.

'Now do you believe me?' he asked. 'These people can't be trusted and Elizabeth, they can't be trusted. Now will you stop this crazy search for treasure and come home with me?'

Elizabeth looked at him silently. 'Are you stupid or merely stubborn?' she asked.

He frowned. 'Elizabeth – '

'I'm not going home with you. I'm going back to my ship. You can come, or you can stay or you can try to find your way home again. I don't really care.' She shoved him out of her way and made to leave.

He grabbed her arm and jerked her back. 'You're not thinking this through!' he began. 'You must come home!'

She picked up a bottle from a nearby table and whacked him across the side of the head with it. The bottle broke. He blinked, swayed and slid slowly to the floor, looking dazed and shocked.

'Like I said,' Elizabeth said, looking down at him, 'You can come, or you can stay or you can try to find your way home again. But one thing you will never do again is try to tell me what to do. I'm your Captain. Is that understoof?'

He managed a dazed nod.

She hauled him to his feet. 'Get moving,' she said shortly. 'Come on, Mister Gibbs. We have to be on our way to the cavern before this other band of pirates makes it before us.'

'Aye aye, Captain,' he siad, grinning.

**Note: Spot the reference! Sorry, couldn't resist it!**


	7. Moonlight Serenade

_In case anyone is wondering, I am deliberately referencing the films and the OST of Curse of the Black Pearl. There's a few long-running jokes that I thought it would be fun to make use of in this fic. And although Elizabeth is supposed to wait ten years to see Will again, that struck me as incredibly sad and I didn't see what would be stopping her from seeing him again at sea. Artistic licence and all that…_

**Chapter Seven**

**Moonlight Serenade**

It was night. The moon was full and shining brilliantly across the sea. The Wandering Albatross drifted gently across the still waters. They were coming towards an island, but everyone could already tell that it was a deserted island, merely a spire of rock rising from the sea. What was strange, and unnerving for the superstitious pirates, was that the water about the base of the island was still, no waves breaking against the rocks. The island was difficult to see in the darkness, but the moonlight made spotting it easier.

There was also no wind in the sails, yet _The Wandering Albatross_ drifted ever closer to the strange island, as if being drawn there.

'Tis a bad place, this,' Gibbs said in a low voice. 'Aye, tis a cursed place, mark my words.'

Elizabeth nodded silently. She agreed. She could feel that this was a bad place, an unfriendly place, a place where strangers were not welcome.

There was a slight bump, the ship shuddered, and everyone jumped in shock, but the ship had merely come to a stop, sat motionlessly on the surface of the ocean.

'I don't like this place,' one of the crew said aloud.

'There's no cavern here,' Elizabeth said to Mister Gibbs, quietly so that no one else would hear. 'What was Jack talking about? He never said anything about how to get into it, even if it is here.'

Mister Gibbs shook his head. 'I don't know what to say, Captain.'

'What is that?' Thomas breathed in horror. Everyone looked around at him and saw that he was staring over across the water at something rising from the depths.

It was a ship, completely white, completely silent as it drifted towards them, ghostly in the moonlight. It was no ordinary ship, anyone could see that, for it made no noise at all upon the water.

'That's a good question,' Elizabeth said. 'Mister Gibbs?'

'No idea, Captain,' he replied, also staring at the silent white ship.

'It's heading this way!' one of the crew, positioned in the crow's nest, yelled.

'Is it The _Seacrawler_?' Elizabeth shouted.

'No, Captain!' the man yelled.

'Definitely not,' Gibbs said suddenly, very quietly, his face white with dread. Elizabeth spun and looked in the direction he was staring in. The moon had disappeared behind a cloud and it was a few moments before it returned again and she saw what he had seen.

There was something in the sea near them, rippling the water and slowly rising, something white –

Another ship emerged from the sea, slower than the first ship, an entirely white ship, water spraying from it. There was no one on board, not as far as she could tell, but then she saw wisps of white, ghostly figures swarming about the deck.

'Ghost ships,' Gibbs said.

'Ghost ships?' she repeated.

'Aye, rumoured to travel the seas and – ' he shook his head. 'I don't know, Miss Elizabeth. I'm just guessing now but don't they look like the ghosts of ships – '

Another white ship rose, right beside _The Wandering Albatross_ and its sudden appearance caused the Albatross to rock alarmingly, water sloshing over the deck. Elizabeth grabbed a rope, keeping herself from being thrown overboard.

'These ships must guard the Cavern!' she shouted.

'What to do, Captain!' someone shouted.

Elizabeth shook her head; she didn't know. The white, ghostly ships were surrounding them and there would be no way that they would be able to escape. Despite how ghostly these ships looked, she was willing to bet that her ship wouldn't be able to simply sail through them.

She was saved from having to make a decision, any decision, as a cannon was fired from one of those ships.

The Wandering Albatross shuddered and rock as it took a direct hit.

Furious, Elizabeth scrambled to her feet and shouted, 'Ready the cannons! Return fire!'

'For whatever good it'll do us!' Thomas snarled.

She rounded on him. 'Do you have any better ideas, Mr Rochford!' she hollered. 'No? Then stow it!'

She turned on her heel and yelled, 'I said return fire! If we go down, we're going down fighting!'

There were a few ragged cheers from the crew as they rallied and ran to their posts, to the cannons. The Wandering Albatross returned fire, but it did no good; the cannon balls either did no damage to the white ships or they did so little that it made no difference.

Another hit shook the Albatross and everyone who had been standing was sent flying to the deck with shouts and screams. Scrambling to her feet, Elizabeth was shouting orders, and clambered up part of the rigging to get a better view of the attacking ships.

Then there came the sound of cannon fire, but it wasn't the cannons of _The Wandering Albatross_ but those of another ship. Another ship that was heading straight for the island, the white ships, and the battle. It was firing upon the ghost and ships and, unlike the cannons of _The Wandering Albatross_, seemed to be doing actual damage to them.

Another blast from one of the ghost ships pounded into the side of the Albatross and Elizabeth lost her foot on the rigging and fell heavily onto the deck. It wasn't much of a fall but as she landed she struck her head.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness, was the dark silhouette of the other ship, a real ship this one, bearing down upon them.


	8. He's A Pirate

_Wow, the reviews have been amazing! It's the reviews and how much people like this that's kept me writing and updating so much; very inspiring! Thanks so much, people! Love you all!_

**Chapter Eight**

**He's A Pirate**

The first thing that Elizabeth saw when she came round was the upside down face of Jack Sparrow, looking down at her with an expression of curious concern and wary trepidation.

She sat bolt upright. 'You!' She sprang to her feet, ignoring the intense dizziness and lunged at him. Jack yelled and ran away, arms waving madly in the air.

'You!' she shrieked in fury. 'Come back here – you, you, you bloody pirate!' She dove to grab him and he ran away down the deck.

The crew of the ship were stood around, staring in astonishment and some of them were grinning. They were still on _The Wandering Albatross_ but there were a few faces amongst the crew that she didn't recognise. But she didn't think much about that because she was too busy attempting to murder Jack Sparrow for the second time.

Elizabeth caught her balance and went for Jack again, her face red with fury. 'You bloody pirate!' she screamed. 'I hate bloody pirates! You – you sent us there! We could have all been killed!'

'But you weren't,' Jack pointed out, dodging around the deck, trying to hide behind various members of the crew.

'That's not the bloody point!' she shrieked. She staggered and was about to fall and Thomas moved to catch her. He was shoved aside by a handsome young man dressed in black, and landed painfully on the deck. He swore quietly and scrambled to his feet.

'Surely not all pirates?' the young man asked.

Elizabeth spun and her jaw dropped. 'Will?' she whispered.

He smiled at her, leaning nonchalantly against the mast. 'Elizabeth. You're looking well.' His words were casual but his voice said more. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

Jack had run around again and was hiding behind Will. He peered out from behind the younger man and said cheerfully, 'Is that any way to thank me for reuniting you with dear William?'

She ran across the deck and almost sent Will flying as she crashed into him, throwing her arms around him and, to everyone's astonishment, even her own, bursting into tears.

Thomas stared, slack-jawed and shocked.

'Didn't I say you weren't her type?' Jack said to him.

Gently, Will lifted the sobbing Elizabeth into his arms and carried her towards her cabin. He was talking quietly into her ear and she started laughing through her tears.

'We won't be seeing those two for a while, then,' Jack observed loudly and grinning widely.

'That – who is he?' Thomas demanded of the pirate. The crew of _The Wandering Albatross _ were going about their business, not paying much attention to what was going on. Either most of them didn't care or figured it wasn't any of their business, and there was a lot of cleaning up that needed to be done.

'That's William Turner,' Jack said dramatically, waving his arms for emphasis. 'Captain of _The Flying Dutchman, _the ship that picked me up floating to my death in the middle of the cruel sea and that saved you lot from a fate much worse than death And he's the husband of the woman you fancy.' He grinned. 'Bet you feel stupid now.'

Thomas looked as if he was going to cry. 'Why didn't she tell me?'

'She was probably inclined to think that it wasn't your business,' Jack shrugged.

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'And spoil the fun?' Jack asked, looking shocked. 'You obviously don't know me very well, mate.' He ambled off, waving vaguely at crew members.

Thomas watched him go, eyes narrowed with fury and humiliation, hands clenched into fists.

'How is life as a pirate captain?' Elizabeth asked, curling up underneath the blankets.

'It's – I miss you,' he said honestly. He retrieved his clothes from the floor and began to pull them back on.

'I miss you, too,' she said quietly. Sitting up, the warm blankets wrapped around her and her hair a mess, she was close to tears. 'I miss you so much, Will.'

He reached over and brushed away the single tear that trickled down her cheek. 'Please don't cry,' he said and kissed her. 'So now what?' he asked a couple of minutes later.

'Now what?' she repeated. She clambered out of bed and pulled his boots and shirt and coat off of him and retreated back to the bed with them, grinning at him.

'About Jack,' he began, trying to pull his shirt back from her, without success, but he wasn't trying very hard.

'Bloody Jack,' she muttered, although she was smiling. She pulled hard on his coat and as he was also holding onto it, the movement jerked him back onto the bed.

'He says - he's after - some sort - of lost - treasure,' Will said between kisses.

'Knowing Jack, there's got to be more to it than that. The question is, is it lost treasure, cursed treasure, or something totally different?'

'The question is, what is he not telling us?' Will corrected.

She nodded, conceding the point. 'So what do we do?'

'What can we do?' he asked. 'It's impossible to get Jack to tell you the truth if he doesn't want to and it's difficult to trick him into spilling the beans – even threatening him doesn't work. All we can do is either abandon the scheme altogether or we listen to what he has to say and hope for the best.'

'I'm still going to kill him when I see him,' she said.

Will smiled. 'He had a point, he brought us back together.'

'That's a polite way of telling me to be reasonable, isn't it?' Elizabeth asked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

'Maybe we should just hear him out.'

'If he hasn't got a good reason – ' she muttered, thinking of the pirates of _The Seacrawler_. They knew about the Cavern and she had a pretty good idea who had told them about it, too. The question was _why_.

But these were all things that could wait just a little longer.


	9. A Matter Of Leverage

**Chapter Nine**

**A Matter Of Leverage**

'What's the problem?' Jack asked, all innocence. The three of them were sat below deck in conference. The Flying Dutchman had remained close, but her captain had remained on board _The Wandering Albatross_ for the moment.

Elizabeth and Will exchanged glances.

'Where to start?' Will muttered.

'Why don't we start with some simple questions?' Elizabeth said menacingly. 'Like why you came running to me for a ship and crew, whether or not you were actually intending to get yourself swept overboard, knowing Will might pick you up, why your compass was showing two bearings, why you got Will to follow the bearings to find me rather than you just finding the Cavern of the Lost, why you pretended to Will that the compass wasn't working for you - have I missed anything out?'

'And what is the treasure?' Will added. 'And what's the catch? Or the curse?'

'What makes you think there's a catch or a curse?' Jack asked.

'Because with you there always is,' Will said grimly.

'Fair point.' Jack shrugged his shoulders innocently.

'And why did you tell other pirates about the treasure but neglected to tell me?' she continued.

'What?' Will snapped, turning on Jack.

'What?' Jack echoed, pretending to sound as shocked as Will.

'That's right,' Elizabeth said. 'Tell him Jack, go on. Tell him what you conveniently forgot to tell me.'

Will turned a hostile, questioning look on Jack. 'Well?'

Jack backed hurriedly away.

'Tell me what else you forgot to mention,' Will demanded taking hold of his arm. 'Now, now, dear William,' Jack said, removing Will's hand from his arm. 'Be reasonable – '

'That wasn't a question, Jack,' Will said shortly. 'You sailed on my ship, you sailed on Elizabeth's. That was an _order_.'

'You've turned into a bossy bastard,' Jack said, frowning. 'All right,' he muttered as Will glared at him. With great difficulty and obvious reluctance, Jack said, 'We are not the only people heading after the treasure of the Lost Cavern.'

'Why do you think I wanted to kill you the moment I came round?' Elizabeth asked. 'I heard that Captain deVere of The _Seacrawler_ was also heading for the Lost Cavern and since you claimed to be the only person who knew where it is, stands to reason you're the one who told them where it was.'

Jack shrugged. 'You caught me. I confess.'

'Why?' Elizabeth demanded. 'Why did you tell them?'

'I owned deVere money,' Jack said. 'And she's ruthless and murderess and not unlike yourself, love. I gave her the location of the treasure to get her off my back.'

'Oh, and you just forgot to mention this?' Elizabeth said grimly.

'Pretty much, darlin.'

'Funny. It's more convincing than some of your stories but somehow, I remain unconvinced.'

Will laughed quietly.

'Then to our other questions,' Elizabeth continued.

'Oh, all right,' Jack said irritably. 'I came to you for a ship because I knew you've had a bloody boring life and wouldn't say no to a bit of adventure. Yes, I meant to get swept overboard because I knew Will would probably find me afloat in the open ocean being Captain of the Dutchman and the Dutchman has been spotted in this part of the ocean. The compass showed me two bearings because I needed to know where the Cavern was and where the Dutchman was so that I could be certain of being picked up by her and I pretended that the compass was broken for me because I needed Will to find you because otherwise he would have left me at the nearest port and left you to find me all by me lonesome savvy and I couldn't be doing with that. And it's not like it matters that Kira deVere and the crew of The _Seacrawler_ know about the treasure and the location of the Lost Cavern. Happy now?'

'Why doesn't it matter?' Will asked intently.

Jack blinked. 'What?'

'You said it didn't matter that The _Seacrawler's_ crew knows about the Lost Cavern.'

Jack looked shifty. 'No, I didn't.'

'Yes, you did.' Will sighed. 'What's the catch?'

'The catch?' Jack echoed.

'With you there's always a catch. What is it?'

Jack hesitated. Then he said, carefully, as if having to reveal this information pained him greatly, 'The Cavern cannot be entered by the living.'

There was a pause.

'Right, that's it,' Will said, drawing his sword, 'I'm going to kill him.'

Jack ran and hid behind Elizabeth.

'And almost everything falls into place,' Elizabeth said flatly.

'You're a heartless bastard,' Will said, glaring at him.

Jack waved a finger at him. 'Now if you want to talk about who's heartless around here – '

'As always, you planned this from the beginning,' Will went on. 'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you walk the plank, Jack.'

'Well, I did reunite you with the lovely Elizabeth before your ten years were up,' Jack pointed up. 'That's got to be worth something, right mate?'

Will considered this. 'All right,' he said slowly. 'I'll make a deal with you.'

Jack grinned.

'I'll get this treasure item for you if you will swear to serve on my ship for a hundred years.'

The grin dropped off Jack's face.

There was a short silence.

Will burst out laughing. 'Oh, that was worth it just for the look on your face,' he said. Then started laughing again as Jack continued to stare at him in shock.

'You are heartless,' Elizabeth said to Jack quietly. 'You really are.'

'Sticks and stones,' Jack said, shrugging. 'All a matter of leverage. I get you something, you get me something. Savvy?'

'So what do we do?' she asked Will.

He shook his head. 'He's right. We owe him something.'

'We don't owe him anything,' she said, but she knew that Will's innate sense of decency and duty might persuade him to go along with Jack's latest crazy scheme. And she had to admit, she was tempted by the promise of danger and adventure, as always.

Will gave her a questioning glance. She nodded, pretending to be more reluctant than she really felt. 'All right,' she said. 'I'll agree to help, if you do, Will.'

He looked at Jack. 'I'm assuming you need me to enter the Cavern?'

Jack nodded. 'You just walk in, get the treasure, and get out. It's just that legend tells that only those who are no longer amongst the living can enter. You saw the guardian ships, right? Those are, according to legend, the ghosts of ships that have been wrecked in storms here, and they guard the treasure of the Cavern from the living. Savvy?'

'You do recall that I can't step on land for another eight years?'

'You won't need to, mate,' Jack said, smiling. 'There's no land inside the Lost Cavern.'

Will frowned at him, bewildered. 'How can I walk in if there's no land?'

Jack grinned.


	10. The Seacrawler

**Chapter Ten**

**The Seacrawler**

Captain Kira deVere had not always been a pirate. She was, although neither of them knew it yet, not that different to Elizabeth Swann. She had begun life as a lady of high society and, when her father had decided to take his business abroad, she and her mother had followed him to India. After her parents died of cholera she had returned to England, only to find that her wastrel brothers had squandered the family fortune and left her nothing. Only a fortuitous marriage would save her, and them, from destitution and it was not without a sense of resentment and foreboding that she agreed to marry a wealthy friend of their father's. His business had taken him to the Caribbean and she met him on a trip he had taken back to England. Although they were betrothed almost immediately, Kira realised that she would never be happy with this man. But even knowing this she married him, against her better judgment, and endured two years of a miserable, loveless marriage until her husband returned to the Caribbean. A year later he ordered her to join him out there.

On the way, the ship she was on was attacked and overtaken by pirates. It was a merchant vessel and the pirates were more interested in the cargo than in the few passengers. Kira managed to escape on a piece of driftwood until she was rescued and taken ashore to Tortuga.

It was there that she decided to give up her old life and take to the seas. It took her several years, several lucky ventures, plenty of guts and intelligence and risks for her to eventually get herself a place as first mate on a ship, captained by a woman named Scarlet Kate who had taken Kira in and treated her almost like the daughter she had never had. In the event of Kate's death, Kira inherited the ship and the crew and finally became captain of her own ship.

_The Seacrawler_ was hers. And now she was about to gain the greatest treasure of her career as a pirate. Thanks to an encounter with that most notorious of pirates, Captain Jack Sparrow, she had the location of one of the greatest hidden treasure hordes of all time. She had been looking forward to claiming that treasure as her own.

Unfortunately, things were not working out quite as expected.

Two other ships had made it there before hers and Kira deVere was in a bad mood because of it.

_The Seacrawler_ was still quite some distance away and hopefully she had not been spotted; and she was, the crew of the other two ships would simply mistake her for another passing ship if she continued to set her course past them.

'Two ships,' her first mate, Harry, told her quietly. He was watching the captain with a concerned expression. 'They're drifting alongside some sort of island – or a rock spire sticking out of the sea. It's difficult to tell at this distance, even with a telescope.'

'It doesn't matter,' she said shortly, irritably. 'I know Jack Sparrow has something to do with this – I should have guessed that little crook would not have simply given me the location of such a treasure without some sort of catch.'

'That is very like Jack Sparrow,' Harry said. He was silent for a moment and then said, 'He owed you money, Captain. A lot of money.'

'There had better be enough treasure for me to cover what he owes me,' she said grimly. 'And if there isn't, I'll flay him alive.'

'So what's our plan, Captain? Since they've got there first, we can't claim the treasure first and we can't attack from this position without losing the element of surprise.'

'We wait,' she decided 'Then we hunt down Jack Sparrow and we keel-haul him for giving someone else the location of the treasure.'

Harry smiled. 'No more than he deserves.'

'Indeed.'

'The crew might not like the idea of – running away,' Harry added cautiously.

'It's not running away,' she replied shortly. 'We can't hope to fight two ships alone in our current position. _The Seacrawler_ was built for speed as well as for battle. She's a fighter, but – we must be careful. Let the crew know that the plan has merely changed. Thanks to Jack Sparrow. We'll get our booty, I'll make sure of it.'

'That's all we're worried about,' Harry said, grinning.

'Then it's settled,' she said. 'We'll withdraw to a distant, secure location and lie in wait. Then we'll attack when the first ship comes within range and take their treasure for ourselves.'

'Saves us the hard work of having to go and find it ourselves,' Harry agreed.

She laughed. 'Precisely.'

He nodded to her and strode off down the deck of _The Seacrawler_, bellowing orders and instructions at the crew.

Kira turned back to the horizon, considering the recent change of plan. In truth, she wasn't happy about it. She preferred to collect her rewards, her booty, without having to resort to violence. After all, if you robbed and killed someone, you couldn't rob them again. But she might make an exception for Jack Sparrow.

She swore softly as she thought about him. The treasure of the Lost Cavern wasn't merely about the treasure for her as it was for her crew. Jack Sparrow had given her the location because he owed her a debt of money, but was also owned her a far deeper debt. A debt that he had promised to pay by the location of the treasure and had guaranteed that the treasure would be worth both debts. He had also promised not to share the location with anyone else.

He had lied. He had made a fool of her, and in front of her crew. Kira deVere was not a woman who would take being crossed and certainly not by a man such as Jack Sparrow.

Now she was determined not only have him repay both debts he owed to her, but that he would pay for his lies, too.


	11. The Way The Wind Blows

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Way The Wind Blows**

'Elizabeth,' a voice said behind her.

She turned. 'Bootstrap?' she asked, recognising Will's father although he had looked far less human the last time she had seen him. He had obviously come aboard the _Albatross_ to accompany Will but this was the first time she had seen him.

He smiled, a little shyly. 'Aye.'

She gave him a brief hug; after all, this man was her father-in-law. 'Will said he was going to give you your freedom.'

'He did,' Bootstrap replied. 'But – I figured I owed him a debt. And I decided it was high time I got to know my own son.'

She nodded, she couldn't argue. 'Do you know anything about this treasure Jack is going after?'

'No more than you do, Elizabeth,' Bootstrap replied. 'I know William don't trust Jack – '

'No one trusts Jack,' Elizabeth said, smiling slightly.

'Aye, but Jack has a way of making people follow him. You will tell William to take care, won't you?'

There was irony in this; there wasn't much that could hurt Will, not with the chest so many miles away and carefully hidden – she had seen to that – but it was a father's concern for his son and Elizabeth nodded.

'I will,' she promised.

'And you take care of yourself,' Bootstrap added. 'He loves you and he misses you. I hate to think what it would do to him if you died.'

'I will,' she said again.

'Aye.' He nodded to her and wandered off down deck, over to Will, to say farewell.

After he had bade his father farewell, Will came to her.

'I can't believe you've let him talk you into this,' she said.

'I'll be fine, Elizabeth,' he assured her.

'If anything happens to you, I will kill him again,' she told him.

He nodded. 'I expected as much. But nothing will happen to me.'

'You don't know that.'

'No, I don't,' he agreed.

'Promise me you'll be careful.'

He kissed her. 'I promise. Now you promise me you'll be careful.'

'We're going to be waiting here for you,' she said. 'Not much can happen.'

He frowned at her. 'You do remember our other adventures with Jack?'

She thought about what she had just said, then nodded. 'I'll be careful.' She kissed him again.

'You going to be all day about that?' Jack asked, coming over, 'or are you just about done?'

'We're just about done,' Will said.

'For now,' Elizabeth added.

'Spare me,' Jack muttered. 'Right, I steered the ship over to where the entrance to the Cavern should be. Now all that you have to do is dive down and find it and go in and get my treasure item.'

'You never actually said what it looks like,' Will said.

'That's because I don't know,' Jack said, sniffing.

'_What?!_' Will and Elizabeth snapped together.

'Legend tells only of a treasure,' Jack said. 'It doesn't say what sort of treasure but by all accounts, even you couldn't miss it.'

'This is getting worse,' Will said, looking up at the sky. 'This is crazy, even by your standards.'

'Well, go on then,' Jack said, giving him a shove. 'Go get my treasure.'

'I'm beginning to regret getting into this,' Will said, climbing over the side of the ship.

'I'm ahead of you there,' Elizabeth called down to him. 'I was regretting it the moment we both agreed to do this.'

'I'm regretting ever asking you for help,' Jack retorted.

She smiled, although her eyes were still locked onto Will. 'Take care,' she called.

He waved a hand and then dove off the side of the ship into the dark water.

'You do know that if anything happens to him, what will happen to you will be even worse than the Locker,' she said to Jack, without looking around.

'I took it as read, darlin,' he replied.

'Good.'

'Why didn't you tell me your husband was still alive?' Thomas asked as he joined her.

Elizabeth didn't look around. 'Thomas, my marriage is none of your business,' she replied wearily. 'Besides, I told you that my husband was at sea but not lost and that you could never understand my situation.'

'You could have told me. A husband sailing at sea I could have understood. But to pretend to be a widow – '

'Is this really all you can think about?' she demanded. 'That I'm not a widow, that I didn't tell you the whole truth? Considering the adventure, the crazy schemes of Jack Sparrow and knowing him the trouble we're soon going to be in, I don't quite understand why you're so fixated on me.'

'It's the principle of the thing!' he said angrily. 'I deserve an explanation!'

'It was the way the wind was blowing,' she shrugged.

He frowned. 'That doesn't make sense.'

'It means I made my decisions based upon the circumstances of the moment,' she replied. 'Besides, why should I have told you anything? I don't care for you, you are nothing more than an acquaintance and a rather stupid one at that – you don't seem to understand that I am not interested in you. I love my husband and I will never love you.'

'Leave it, mate,' Jack said, sidling up to Thomas as Elizabeth stormed off. 'You're never going to get her, so you might as well give up whilst you've still got some of the remains of your dignity. Savvy?'

'She's a woman worth fighting for or losing a little bit of dignity for,' Thomas replied stiffly.

'But you're never going to get her,' Jack replied. 'Give it up. After this is all over, you should come and have some rum with us on Tortuga. You'll meet some lovely ladies who'd actually be interested in you. Or willing to pretend to be interested in you for a reasonable price.'

Thomas gave him a furious, shocked look. 'This is not a respectable conversation.'

'And that's exactly it,' Jack said. 'You're respectable, and that's the reason why you don't stand a chance.' He paused. 'One of the reasons. Get over her, mate. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to join Captain Swann and wait for Will to return with my treasure. The sooner he gets it, the sooner we can leave and the sooner I don't have to look at you again.' He meandered gently across the deck, towards Elizabeth. 'Where has the rum gone?'

**Author's Note:** _This is an apology in advance if the next chapter is late. I know exactly what I'm going to be writing for when Will goes into the Cavern of the Lost, but unfortunately it's not translating very well into words. So please bear with me, I promise it will be worth the wait! Of course, if I'm lucky and inspiration hits me over the head with a sledgehammer, then you won't have to wait very long!_


	12. Into The Cavern Of The Lost

_**Author's Note:**__ Okay, I'm sorry this is only the one chapter and I'm sorry it ends on a bit of a…cliff-hanger, I guess. I've been busy and I have lots of reasons why I haven't been as quick at updating as usual with this fic, none of which I will bore you with here. But please rest assured that I will be updating soon and (hopefully!) it will be worth the wait. I know exactly how this will end (I may tell you if the bribes are big enough or the threats creative enough), it's just a case of getting there. So, enjoy!_

**Chapter Twelve**

**Into The Cavern Of The Lost**

Will surfaced. The water was freezing. He drew in few breaths, gasping slightly at the cold, and took a quick look around. He was in a small, round cave filled with freezing sea water. He couldn't see any entrance, except the way he had come in.

He swam to the side of the cave and sank beneath the water again and edged his way around until he found a gap in the rock, just below the surface.

Even though he didn't really need to, he took another deep breath and dove back into the depths.

He swam swiftly through the narrow gap, cutting his hands on the rough rock, struggling to make it through the tiny tunnel, silently cursing Jack Sparrow and all his half-baked, crazy schemes. He made it through the gap, his tried to surface and found himself in water that was even colder. He looked around again.

He was inside another cave, a little bigger than the previous one, with an ominous looking dark, arched doorway opposite.

The deep water around him was freezing, turning to thick ice. Lifting himself out of the water, he clambered onto a block of ice. He hadn't thought that it would be strong enough to hold his weight but it did. The deep water had frozen around where he stood, the water lapping softly against the edges of the little island he was stood on. As he walked slowly, cautiously, across it, the water around froze until it created a frozen causeway for him to walk across. He had to walk carefully because the ice was smooth and his boots were slipping slightly on the surface. He shook out the folds of his shirt, soaking wet and sticking to him and uncomfortable because ice was forming on it, frost in his hair and skin.

'Well, Jack did say it wouldn't be land,' he muttered aloud and carefully made his way across it. Looking ahead, he saw the ice spreading up the wall of the cave. It formed a doorway around the arched doorway, forming a door from a sheet of ice. There were two statues forming from the ice, the figures of a man and a woman, each holding a spear, guarding the threshold of the door. The statues were amazing, almost life-like.

As Will approached cautiously, the statues shimmered and suddenly there were two, living people stood in front of him. They were as pale as the ice around them, but they were undoubtedly alive, although perhaps not in the conventional sense.

They both turned at the same time and swung their spears, crossing them and blocking his way. The spears were also made of ice.

The man spoke first. 'You may not pass,' he said. His voice echoed in the cavern, and his voice was low and had a strange timbre, and it echoed inside the cave.

Will stopped and stared at them silently. Jack hadn't mentioned guardians of the Lost Cavern, but either he hadn't known or he had chosen not to mention it. Knowing Jack, Will was willing to bet it was the latter.

'Only the dead may enter here,' the woman said.

'I am no longer amongst the living,' Will replied quietly, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes.

The two guardians exchanged glances.

'Who exactly are you two?' Will asked curiously.

'We are the Guardians of the Lost Cavern,' the man said.

'Oh, yes, that explains everything,' Will muttered.

'We are here to guard the Lost Cavern,' the woman explained. 'Long ago, centuries ago, my brother and I were pirates. We discovered the location of the Lost Cavern and sought it endlessly, for the legends told of great treasure hidden here. But we were still amongst the living and we paid for our folly and greed in coming here. We were killed and forced to become the eternal, immortal guardians of this place. Now we guard the doorway to the Lost Cavern and prevent any who are amongst the living from entering here.'

'Killed by what, or who?' Will asked. 'Why can the dead enter and the living not?'

The woman merely smiled mysteriously.

He sighed. 'Fine, don't tell me. I don't know what it is with everyone and having to keep secrets. Why can't you just tell me?'

'Because then it wouldn't be a secret,' the woman replied.

He sighed. 'Whatever. I want to go in there.'

'But you are flesh and blood and bone,' the man said. 'No ghost, no walking corpse are you.' He smiled slyly.

'No living man am I,' Will replied.

The man laughed. 'Begone, fool, before we kill you.'

'Good luck with that,' Will said shortly.

'Wait.' The woman stepped towards Will and laid a hand on his chest for a moment. Her hand was freezing cold, so cold that it actually hurt him. Then she smiled.

'He has no beating heart,' she observed. 'My brother, this one is indeed no longer amongst the living although he is not amongst the dead.'

'Told you so,' Will said smugly.

The man looked annoyed. 'Fine, you can pass,' he said irritably.

'What is the treasure?' Will asked as he approached the door.

'Now, that would be telling,' the woman said. 'But tell me, stranger, who are you?'

'Now, that would be telling,' Will echoed with a smile.

She pulled a face at him. Then she and her brother guardian stepped aside, removing their spears and clearing the way for him. Then they both saluted him.

'Thank you,' Will said and went over to the door. He raised a hand and touched the sheet of ice. It rippled and melted, icy seawater washing around his feet, flowing over his boots. Within seconds it had melted and the doorway was open.

Beyond, lay darkness.

'Go forth, bold adventurer,' the man said softly, his tone mocking.

Will glanced back at him. The male guardian was smiling strangely and the woman couldn't meet his gaze.

'There may be treasure in there, but what else is there?' Will asked.

The man laughed. The woman didn't say anything, simply acted as if she hadn't heard anything.

Will gazed into the darkness a moment. Then he drew his sword and ventured forth.


	13. Waiting

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Waiting**

'Where is he? Why is he taking so long?' Elizabeth rounded on Jack. 'Where is he? What's happened to him?' She was pacing restlessly up and down the deck.

Jack raised his hands. 'Why are you asking me, love? I'm still amongst the living, I've never been in there. Why should I know what's in there? Could be anything. Could be nothing.'

'How likely is it that it's nothing?' she asked sourly.

He shrugged. 'Not very.'

'Something awful might have happened to him.'

'We can but hope,' Jack joked. 'Or at least, your friend Mr Rochford over there can.'

She clouted him around the head. 'He's in there risking his life for you, again.'

'Now, we can't really say that he's in there risking his life, can we?' Jack pointed out in what he considered to be a reasonable manner.

Elizabeth didn't appear to agree but this time he was expecting the clip round the ear and ducked. She hesitated until he straightened again and thumped him on the back of the head.

His expression didn't change. 'I should have expected that.'

'Yes, you should have,' she said shortly. 'I can't believe that after everything Will's done for you, you're willing to use him again for your own ends. You really are despicable.'

He smiled as if she had just paid him a compliment. 'Thanks, darlin.'

She shook her head and muttered angrily under her breath.

Jack prodded her in the shoulder and handed her a bottle of rum. Elizabeth smiled and accepted it.

'What you going to do about your little friend, then?' he asked curiously swigging rum.

She considered and took a mouthful of rum. 'Stab him and tip him overboard,' she said flatly.

Jack laughed..

'You think I'm joking, don't you?' she asked.

'Oh no, love,' Jack assured her. 'I know you, remember? I know _exactly_ how ruthless you can be.'

She smiled ruefully.

Then a cry came from the crow's nest and shouting from several crew members. They had seen something.

'What's happened?' Elizabeth yelled, jumping to her feet and dropping the rum bottle. Jack flailed with both hands and caught the bottle just before it hit the deck and sighed with relief.

'It's _The Seacrawler_,' the man in the crow's nest hollered down.

'_The Seacrawler_,' Elizabeth said to Jack, her tone cold.

He gave her a bemused look. 'You sound surprised, love. You already knew I gave the location to deVere. You should have been expecting this.'

She gave him a filthy look. 'Will she attack, do you think?'

'Maybe. Maybe not.'

'As specific as ever,' she muttered.

'It's doubtful she'll attack us,' Gibbs assured her. 'We've two ships and _The Seacrawler_ is only one.'

'I think _The Flying Dutchman_ will defend its captain's wife,' Jack said. 'Or they will if they value their skins. So we probably don't have much to worry about.'

'It's the probably that worries me,' Elizabeth replied, gazing at the distant Seacrawler through a telescope with a concerned, distracted air. 'What should I do?'

'Not let your crew hear you say that,' Jack advised.

She gave him a scorching glare which he returned with an innocent smile.

'Our choice is simple,' Bootstrap said to her. He had remained on _The Wandering Albatross_ and she had been previously been spending some time getting to know him. 'We won't abandon our captain. We will wait for him to return.'

'But – ' Elizabeth began.

'What harm could we possibly take from that ship?' he asked. 'None. There is no risk to us, but there might be to your ship. You can leave, make port if you need to, and _The Flying Dutchman_ will wait for her captain and then we will find you and let you know he's safe.'

'Not that he won't be,' Jack pointed out hastily.

Elizabeth glared at him and then turned her attention back to Bootstrap. 'I don't want to abandon him.'

'We might be able to defend your ship if _The Seacrawler_ chooses to attack,' Bootstrap added.

'But Will – '

'You're captain of _The Wandering Albatross_,' Bootstrap said. 'The captain sees to the safety of the crew and the ship before themselves, Captain Swann. That is you duty and William would expect nothing else of you.'

She knew he was right. Will understood duty. He would understand if she needed to leave to guarantee her crew's safety.

'Only if we need to go,' she said firmly. 'I'll take us away if we need to run.'

Moments later, it was evident that they didn't need to. _The Seacrawler_ continued on her way, paying the other two ships no heed and ignoring the spire of the cavern as if the crew hadn't even seen them.

Elizabeth relaxed. She wouldn't have to abandon Will after all.

Jack, however, looked concerned.

'Something wrong?' Elizabeth asked quietly.

'She's up to something,' Jack replied quietly, watching the retreating Seacrawler. 'Kira deVere knows we're looking for treasure here. But _The Seacrawler_ was built for speed, she's armed but not heavily. Kira's going to wait for us to come with the treasure and then fight us for it or steal it. She's going to wait for the opportune moment.'

'Why does she want this treasure?' Elizabeth asked. 'What is it? Did you tell her what it is?'

'I haven't even told you,' Jack replied. 'Why would I tell her? I don't even like her.'

'Because you have a history of telling people you don't like things that you won't tell the people you do apparently like,' she retorted.

'Then you can figure out how much I like people by how much I tell them,' he said, smirking.

'No, because half the time we all know you're lying and the other half of the time, we can't tell whether you're lying or not.'

He sniffed. 'All right, fair point.'

Elizabeth was resuming her pacing. Jack groaned. 'You're going to wear out the deck.'

'Don't care. I want Will back.' She looked at him and paused. 'You're worried about this Captain deVere woman, aren't you?'

'She'll have worked out that she wasn't the only person I've given the location to,' Jack said. 'After promising only she would know. She's not going to be happy that she can't lay sole claim to what's in that cavern.'

'So you're worried.'

'No. I'm just trying to figure about what she's going to do about it.' He swigged from the rum bottle. 'But don't let me distract you from your worries, love.'

Elizabeth glowered at him for a moment and then carried on pacing up and down the deck and he carried on drinking and thinking.

_By way of apology for not being able to update for the next few days, and the fact that this isn't the most interesting chapter, I'll update the next three or four chapters all at the same time, ASAP. I promise!_


	14. The Lost Treasure

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Lost Treasure**

To be honest, Will had been expecting something more – impressive. He had also been expecting a lot more treasure than appeared to be hidden inside the Lost Cavern.

It was a huge cavern, but most of its size was in the massive, arched roof of the cave. It was also dry, no trace of any water anywhere. He had been half-expecting piles of treasure simply lying about the place in mounds of gold and silver and jewels.

He hadn't been expecting shelves.

There were shelves carved out of the sides of the cave, out of the rock, with items placed on them. Some were tiny, some were massive, but all were neatly displayed. It was bizarre. Will didn't have time to look around and notice anymore than that, because a woman appeared right in front of him. One moment there was no one there, the next she was stood only a couple of feet away.

Will yelled in shock and demanded, 'Who are you?!'

The woman stared at him in astonishment. 'What are you doing here?' she demanded.

'I'm Will Turner, Captain of The Flying Dutchman,' he responded. 'Now, who are you?'

'I am the Guardian,' she said.

'The Guardian?'

'Yes.'

'What about the other two out there?'

'They guard out there. I guard in here.'

'Oh.' Will cleared his throat and muttered under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like, '_Not more bloody guardians._'

'The treasures of this place are too precious and dangerous to be left anywhere other than in the hands of a guardian who would live or die to protect them,' she said, smiling strangely. 'Why are you here, Captain Turner?'

He looked over towards her. 'I'm looking for treasure,' he replied honestly.

'Any particular treasure?' she inquired.

'Apparently, I'll know it when I see it,' he said wearily.

'Ah.' She nodded. '_That._'

'Excuse me?' he asked, bewildered.

'If you find it, it may not do you any good,' the guardian informed him. 'I am sworn to protect the treasures here and I can't simply let people walk off with them.'

Will frowned. 'Then why was I allowed in here, if you don't mind me asking? Only the dead may enter here – why not the living? And if I am allowed in here, why aren't I allowed to take anything?'

'The dead have little need of treasure,' she replied. 'And these treasures belong here; they should not be taken lightly, on the whim or desire of just anyone.'

Will shrugged. 'It's hardly a whim.'

'Why are you here, seeking and not even knowing what it is that you seek?'

'I promised a friend,' Will said.

'A foolish promise.'

'Yes,' Will said after a moment. 'Considering the friend in question, it probably was. But there you are.'

'So you made a promise to a friend to find this item for them?'

'Yes. I did.'

'Have they promised you anything in return?'

'Not as such,' Will said, sighing. 'And I wouldn't trust him even if I did.'

'So why promise?'

Will shrugged again.

She was smiling widely now. 'Would you like to search? See if you can find this treasure that you know nothing about. And maybe, once you've found it, I might tell what it is.'

'Wonderful,' Will muttered as he looked around the cavern. 'Why can't people ever put things in a simple, easy to find place?'

'Because that really would be too easy,' the guardian replied.

He searched, conscious that Elizabeth was waiting. There was a lot of treasure, But not as much as he had thought there would.

There were richly woven rugs in gorgeous colours on the floor, a large flat rock with a silk cloth laid over it and lying on that, a collection of swords and knives. There were all kinds of treasures, from gold and silver coins, to rough and cut gems, glass bottles and oil lamps and cloaks hanging off of sharp spars of stone on the walls, necklaces and rings, to more unusual looking things like chunks of vividly coloured rock, a silver cube that shone with an eerie red light, a chest that looked as if it were made of gold, a perfect round sphere made of glass -

He stopped and stared, his eyes drawn back to that one item. It was rather plain next to everything else, just a simple, dusty ball of glass but – somehow – he knew that this was it.

'So Jack was right,' he murmured, and picked it up.

The guardian appeared in front of him again, although this time she didn't scare him. He barely even blinked. 'So you found it,' she said, not sounding very surprised.

'Yes,' he said. 'I did.' He rose, eyes fixed on the glass. 'What is it?'

She touched the surface of the glass ball. 'This,' she said softly, 'is the Key to all Desires. It grants one wish every century, Captain Turner. This is what your friend sent you to find.'

'Are you going to stop me from leaving?' Will asked quietly.

She laughed. 'No. That wouldn't be any fun at all, Captain Turner.' She drew her fingers down the surface of the glass and then stepped back.

The sphere emitted a pale silver light and then suddenly darkened and fell to pieces in Will's hands.

'You may take the Key to all Desires and your friend may use it,' she said, 'but only if you can figure out how to put it back together again.'

Will stared at her in shocked silence.

'I don't need to fight you or stop you from leaving by force,' the guardian told him softly, 'all I need to do is protect the treasures of the Lost Cavern and, sometimes, merely help them protect themselves.'

'You said my friend could use it,' Will said. 'Could I?'

'No,' she said. 'You are not living. Only the living may use it. The Key to all Desires requires a living, beating heart and the breath of life to work.'

'Ah,' Will said dryly. 'Well, you've got me there.'

'Indeed.'

'Is there a curse on it?' he asked, suddenly recalling previous treasures he had encountered.

She shook her head. 'But you are familiar with the warning, be careful what you wish for?'

He nodded.

'That's my advice to you, then. Making a good wish isn't as simple as it seems to be and consequences can be – far-reaching.'

He looked at her a moment longer and then asked, 'Do you get lonely here, all on your own?'

'Yes,' she replied. 'Or rather, I did. I don't really remember what it's like to have company anymore. I've been alone too long.'

'How did you come to be here?'

She didn't meet his eyes. 'You should leave. Your lady will be worried about you.'

'How do you know about her?' he asked curiously.

'I know a lot of things, William Turner,' the guardian said. 'I also know that you are luckier than I. You have the company of your crew, your father, the love of a good woman waiting for you, and the freedom of the open sea. Your heart-break is less than mine ever will be.'

'You had to leave your life and your love behind you?' Will asked gently.

She nodded. 'Your wife will grow old and die but you will have some time with her and she loves you enough to wait for you. Treasure it, William. It will keep you through the years without her. Now go. She fears for you. You don't want to worry her anymore, do you?'

'No,' he said quietly. 'And I'm sorry.'

'For me?'

'Who else?'

'Thank you,' she said eventually. 'It is a thing poor to have another's pity, but better than nothing. Thank you, Captain Turner.'


	15. Depart In Darkness

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Depart In Darkness**

Bootstrap walked slowly up and down the deck of _The Flying Dutchman,_ carrying a lantern held high. He had returned to the ship to wait for Will. Elizabeth and Jack Sparrow had remained on board _The Wandering Albatross_. It had been painful to watch Elizabeth wait, first calmly, then growing increasingly agitated until she had threatened to smash a bottle of rum over Jack's head, had then actually done so, and then retreated to her cabin to wait alone.

He could understand concern. Just because his son was now practically un-killable didn't stop him from worrying about him.

There was a footstep behind him. Bootstrap spun and relaxed as he recognised Will, leaning against the mast. He was soaked, but looked moderately pleased about something.

'We were worried about you,' Bootstrap told him.

Will smiled. 'I'm fine,' he said 'But we have to leave. Now.'

'Now?'

'Now,' Will repeated. 'And in silence. Don't alert _The Wandering Albatross_.'

'We're leaving Elizabeth behind?' Bootstrap said, incredulously.

Will grimaced. 'Unfortunately, yes.

'Why are you doing this?' Bootstrap asked, following him below deck as Will yelled out orders, rousing the crew and getting them to their stations. 'You'll be leaving Elizabeth behind – '

'I know,' Will replied, stepping up to the wheel.

'You're willing to leave her behind?'

'Elizabeth is more than capable of looking after herself,' Will assured him.

'But you're leaving without even saying goodbye,' Bootstrap persisted. He seemed unable to comprehend why Will would ever leave Elizabeth behind by choice.

'I have my reasons,' Will assured him. 'And they're good reasons.'

'_The Wandering Albatross_ will see us leave,' Bootstrap reminded him, still looking worried.

'Where we go, they cannot follow us,' Will pointed out calmly. He seemed perfectly composed and focused, as if it wasn't the woman he loved he was leaving behind without a farewell or an explanation. There was something more to this plan, Bootstrap realised.

'They could still find us. Jack has the compass, isn't that how he found us in the first place?'

Will smiled. 'I've already dealt with that,' he said, looking pleased with himself.

'Did you get the treasure?' Bootstrap asked suddenly. 'What did you find in there?'

'Yes, I got it. It's sort of why we're leaving now. But I have a job for you, if you don't mind taking it.'

Bootstrap nodded. 'Tell me what it is and I'll do it.'

Moments later, _The Flying Dutchman_ sank silently below the waves, leaving _The Wandering Albatross _alone on the ocean.

* * *

'You know, I'm not very happy about this, either,' Jack pointed out in what he considered to be a reasonable manner.

'Because it's always about you, isn't it?' Elizabeth snarled at him.

'Well, he was looking for something for me – '

'Never mind that I'm reunited briefly with the man I love, only to have him wasting time that we could have been spending together running around doing errands for you!'

'Now, Elizabeth,' Jack said placatingly. 'You know me. You mean you didn't expect something like this?'

'Whenever something happens to Will, it's always your fault. It's always about something you want.'

'Something you wanted, too,' Jack said. 'And I don't think anything has happened to Will, darlin. _The Flying Dutchman_ isn't here and that tells me that Will got back on board and went off with his ship and his crew and left us behind because they can't and won't leave without him.' He waved his hands in the air and moaned in a quavering voice, 'The ship needs a captain. _The Flying Dutchman_ must have a captain. Savvy?'

She glared at him, silently fuming.

'Now she gets it,' Jack nodded. 'So we need to find Will because he still has my treasure.'

'Just because you want it, doesn't make it yours,' she told him sharply. 'What is it, Jack? What does it do?'

He didn't answer. 'I reckon Will knows,' he said, looking annoyed. 'And now he wants to use it.'

'What is it?' she demanded. He merely waved his hands at her and meandered off up the deck, muttering something about rum under his breath.

Elizabeth saw Thomas coming up towards her. She turned away, gritting her teeth in anger and frustration. From the delighted expression on his face, she knew what he was thinking and what he was going to say. She looked out across the ocean, not acknowledging his presence, even as he stopped and stood close behind her.

'So you see,' Thomas said into Elizabeth's ear, 'your husband abandons you again. Not much of a husband, is he?'

She didn't look around; simply drove her elbow backwards into his stomach. He doubled over, coughing and gasping. She strode off down the deck and left Thomas in a small, painful heap on the floor.

'There's a storm coming, Captain,' Gibbs said, walking over. 'A bad one, I fear. The clouds are gathering and – '

'We'll make port,' Elizabeth decided. 'Make port and decide what our next course of action will be whilst waiting for the storm to blow over.'

'So we're actually going to be sitting around, drinking rum,' Jack said to her. He looked immensely cheered up by the prospect.

'You might be,' she replied, turning. 'I, on the other hand, will be trying to decide what our next course of action will be.'

'You know, we could weather a storm,' Jack said, 'if we want to try and catch the Dutchman - '

Elizabeth rounded on him. 'And how do you propose we do that? We'll never find her and Will is gone. Again. He's left me, and all because of you and your stupid treasure.'

'How do you know it wasn't your shouting and nagging that sent him running?' Jack demanded. 'Anyways,' he added, looking smug and putting a hand into his coat pocket. 'What about this? This will help us…find…Will…' He looked confused for a moment then started patting down his pockets. 'Where is it?' he muttered.

'Lost your compass?' she said coldly.

Jack looked up at her, shocked. 'Someone took it!' he said shrilly.

'Someone who probably wanted to make sure you couldn't follow them,' Elizabeth said, now smiling. 'Now I wonder who that could be. See, Jack? I said it was you he wanted to leave behind. Now he's made sure he can – by stealing your compass.'

Jack glowered for a few seconds than stamped away to sulk.


	16. Lady Pirates

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Lady Pirates**

Kira was sat beside the fire inside the tavern, silently debating what to do next, when the door swung open and a group of new faces made their way inside. She looked around with instant interest, hoping that they might be the crew of the ships she had seen earlier and, to her delight, they were.

So that meant at least one of the ships had made berth at this port and she might be able to find some information regarding the treasure.

Things were beginning to look up.

Jack Sparrow entered and Kira instantly ducked into the shadows and pulled her hat low over her face but he didn't appear to have seen her. He was talking, or arguing, with a young woman. Kira listened intently as they passed.

'They left because of you,' Eizabeth said sharply. 'He knew you were going to double-cross him again.'

'Would I do that?' Jack asked, looking hurt.

'Do I need to answer that?' she snapped. 'He left because of you, Jack. Thank you very much, Jack. Once again, you've come between us. You and your stupid treasure.'

'Yes, well, believe it or not I'm also quite upset that he left without even bothering to say goodbye,' Jack muttered.

'If it turns out that something bad has happened, Jack, you do recall that I promised to kill you?' she said ominously.

He frowned at her. 'I'm going to leave you to calm down, love, whilst I get a drink.'

'That's right,' Elizabeth snapped. 'Go away. I don't want to talk to you at the moment.'

Jack scurried away, returning briefly to hand her a mug of ale or rum or something that stank and tasted of – she found it better not to think about that. She sat herself down at an empty table.

A woman came over and sat herself down opposite Elizabeth who looked up with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. She was a few years older than Elizabeth, dressed in the usual assortment of odd, slightly ragged clothes most pirates seemed to wear, with long red hair pulled back in a severe braid and wearing a dark blue coat.

'Captain Swann, I believe,' she said with a faint smile.

'And I assume you're Captain deVere,' Elizabeth responded, surreptitiously checking her sword, a movement that was not lost on deVere.

'How do you know?'

'How do you know I'm Captain Swann?'

'Jack Sparrow mentioned you when I saw him some time ago. And I heard some of your crew calling you Captain Swann, Elizabeth Swann.

'It's Elizabeth Turner,' Elizabeth replied coldly. 'But Captain Swann.'

'Really?' Kira raised her eyebrows. 'How – unusual.'

Elizabeth didn't bother to explain, simply looked at the other woman silently.

'You don't trust me,' Kira observed.

'You're a pirate,' Elizabeth replied. 'Of course I don't trust you.'

'You seem to be making something of a name for yourself as a pirate,' deVere said, 'I have also heard of some of your exploits and adventures from Jack Sparrow.'

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. 'What has he told you?'

Kira shrugged, affecting indifference. 'I don't really find what Jack Sparrow talks about very interesting.'

'But something caught your interest enough to go and seek out the treasure of the Lost Cavern,' Elizabeth said.

Kira looked irritated. 'Yes, and he promised he wouldn't tell anyone else where it was.'

'And you believed him?'

'He owed me debts of money and another debt that I agreed the location would pay. He was honour-bound to pay his debts.'

'As I said, you believed him? Jack never pays his debts if he can help it, especially if they involve something he wants. Don't you know him at all?'

Kira stared at her stonily.

'Believe me,' Elizabeth continued, 'I know Jack Sparrow and I have helped him escape from paying his debts. He is never to be trusted.'

'And yet here you are, sailing with him, searching for treasure,' Kira said.

'He offered me something I wanted,' Elizabeth said mildly. 'I don't trust him for a moment and with good reason.'

'What did he offer you?' Kira asked curiously.

'None of your business,' Elizabeth shot back. There was no way she was going to share that with this woman she barely knew and certainly didn't trust. 'But as for you – why do you want the treasure so badly? You don't even know what it is.'

'Do you?'

'It wasn't what I came on this voyage for.'

'Jack Sparrow wants this treasure so I want it. He owes me and he's made a fool out of me and I want to take something from him so he can be as humiliated as me,' Kira saif flatly.

Elizabeth shook her head. 'You'll never get the better of Jack Sparrow. You might as well give in gracefully and go home. Go find some other treasure.'

'No.'

'You're not listening to me, so I don't really see what you're doing talking to me.' Elizabeth rose to leave.

'Wait.' Kira grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back down. 'You don't have the treasure yet, do you?'

'Do you think I'd tell you whether I did or not?'

'Doesn't matter. I know you don't. Jack Sparrow is worried and you're arguing and none of you would be here if you'd actually found it.'

'What's your point?'

'You're angry at Jack because I don't think he's delivered what you wanted, whatever he promised you,' Kira said intently. 'He certainly hasn't given me what I wanted and now he owes me more debts than he'll ever be able to pay.'

'Like I said, what's your point?'

'We can join forces against Jack,' Kira said. 'Take the treasure, pay him for deceiving us both and I'll help you get whatever you're looking for.'

Elizabeth shook her head. 'You can't help me with what I want, and if you think I'd betray Jack for you when I don't even know you – '

'You said yourself you don't trust Jack.'

'But I don't trust you, either. Better the pirate you know.' Elizabeth got up again and said, 'Leave it, Captain deVere. Go home or go sailing and seeking treasure somewhere else because you're not going to get what you want here. Good day.' She drained her mug, slammed it down on the table, and walked out.

About half an hour later, as Kira was finishing her fourth or fifth mug, a man walked into the tavern, made an inquiry at the bar, then walked over to her. He sat down in front of her, said, 'Are you Captain deVere?'

Kira nodded silently.

'I have a proposition for you,' he said.


	17. Secrets In The Night

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Secrets In The Night**

Elizabeth was fuming as she stormed out of the tavern and into the street. It was the nerve of the woman, suggesting that Elizabeth join her and dare to suggest that she could deliver whatever it was that Elizabeth wanted. No one could do that. As if deVere had any idea what Elizabeth wanted.

She stamped along the street in a foul mood and was in a mood to pick a fight with someone when she saw a familiar face in the entrance of a narrow alleyway.

It was Bootstrap Bill.

He beckoned to her, before ducking into the shadows, out of sight.

She glanced around quickly, making sure that no one she knew would see her, and then ran over to him.

'Is Will all right?' were the first words out of her mouth.

He nodded hastily. 'William's fine, Elizabeth. He made it back last night, with the treasure. Nothing had happened to him, so don't worry.'

'I really thought something might have happened to him!' she exclaimed, partly annoyed but mostly relieved. 'Why did The Flying Dutchman leave, without Will seeing me?'

'He had good reason for leaving,' Bootstrap assured her. 'And he didn't want to leave without seeing you or telling you why but he had to. He said he knew you could take care of yourself but he couldn't stay. He's sent me to see you.'

'Why? Is it about the treasure? Something about that?'

Bootstrap nodded.

Elizabeth smiled. 'I knew it wasn't any ordinary treasure, these things never are with Jack. Does Will know what it is?'

Bootstrap nodded again, beginning to smile.

'Well?' she asked urgently. 'Tell me!'

He looked suddenly worried, taking a hasty look around to make sure that there was no one nearby listening in, then he gestured for her to come closer so he could whisper into her ear.

'William says that it is called the Key to all Desires,' he whispered.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. 'What?'

Bootstrap nodded. 'That's what he said. And it grants one person their heart's desire only once every hundred years.'

She stared at him in shock. 'That's what Jack was looking for? I wonder why, I wonder what he wants this time – and Will's taken it?' She smiled suddenly and laughed. 'Will's taken it! Jack is going to be _furious!_'

'I think you might be able to guess why William wants it,' Bootstrap said, now also smiling.

She laughed again. 'So he sent you to tell me why he couldn't come – '

'And to get you to meet him, as soon as possible. You need to be there, too. The sooner you go, the sooner you get to him, and the less likely it is that anyone else will try to get the Key off of him.'

'Where should I go?' she asked. 'He could be anywhere – '

'Just out into the open ocean, he'll be able to find you,' he assured her.

'You'll come back with me?' she asked. 'On _The Wandering Albatross?_'

He nodded.

She smiled. 'Let's go and find Jack.'

'You're going to tell him?'

'Not that I now know what the treasure is,' she assured him hastily. 'Or that Will intends to use it instead. And I'd leave Jack Sparrow behind in a second but unfortunately, he'd just turn up anyway and I want him where I know he is, where I can keep an eye on him. Come on.' Besides, she knew that Bootstrap and Jack had been friends at one time and she wasn't sure how he would feel about leaving Jack behind.

It took longer to find Jack than expected and when they did find him, he was drunker than expected. He was sat with a small group of young women, his arms around a couple of them.

' – and then they made me their king,' he was saying, between swigs of rum. 'And then I escaped by harnessing a couple of sea turtles – '

It took some persuading to get him to come back to _The Wandering Albatross_ and it finally took Elizabeth threatening to leave him behind to get him to leave.

'What are you doing here?' he asked, gazing blearily at Bootstrap.

'Back to the ship, Jack,' Elizabeth said hastily.

'But – I got friends – and rum – where's the rum?'

One of the women handed Elizabeth a rum bottle. 'Thanks,' Elizabeth said and passed it to Jack who seemed suddenly much happier.

'Bye, Jack,' several of the women called out

'Bye, darlin,' he called over shoulder as Elizabeth dragged him away.

They finally managed to haul him on board _The Wandering Albatross_, complaining every step of the way and, as the ship sailed out into the open ocean, Elizabeth had Jack thrown in the brig.

'Should have seen that coming,' he muttered, getting to his feet and looking wearily around the little cell. 'Where's the rum – ah! I knew she wasn't totally heartless,' he added as he spied the half-full bottle of rum Elizabeth had left behind for him.

Up on deck, Thomas asked Elizabeth, 'Why did you do that, then?'

'Do what?' she asked absently.

'Lock him up.'

'Keep him out of the way and stop him interfering, not that it's any of your business,' she said shortly. She gave him a funny look. 'You haven't been pestering me for a while. I thought we might have accidentally left you behind.'

'Not for lack of trying,' he said sourly. 'I was almost left behind but I made it just in time.'

'Shame,' she said blandly.

He glared at her but she ignored him so he asked, 'We're going to find your husband, then?'

'Again, not that it's any of your business, but yes. We are.'

Thomas nodded. 'He doesn't deserve you, you know.'

'Shut up, before I push you overboard,' she said, not looking at him.

'But he doesn't.'

'How would you know?' she asked disdainfully. 'You don't even know him.'

'He disappeared at sea,' Thomas said, following her as she walked away. 'You haven't seen him for two years, what kind of man does that to a woman like you?'

Elizabeth rounded on him. 'A man who has no choice,' she said coldly. 'Now go away and stop bothering me. I want to find my husband.'

_Okay, let me know what you think of this: I'm considering turning this into a trilogy (yeah, because I don't have enough to write already…). Thoughts? Good idea, bad idea? Any ideas for what our intrepid heroes might do in a second and third story? Just get on and finish this one first? Suggestions are always welcome, of course, and I always acknowledge! Hope you are enjoying this so far!_


	18. Time And Tide

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Time and Tide**

'No hard feelings, then,' Elizabeth said.

Jack looked up from where he was sat on a barrel in the brig, peering at her through the bars. There was a bottle of rum in his hand. 'Would have done the same to you, darlin,' he said without resentment. 'We do what we need to do when we need to do it, savvy?'

'I think so,' Elizabeth replied.

'Aye,' he nodded, 'you do. Don't think I'm pleased about this but – you're self-serving, love. Just like me.

Her eyes narrowed. 'We've had this conversation before.'

'And this time you're not arguing because you know that I know what you're capable of.' He smiled slightly at the frown on her face and pointed a finger at himself and then at her. 'Peas in a pod, you and me.

She met his gaze directly and said, 'We do what we need to do. Time and tide.'

He grinned. 'Aye.'

Elizabeth left and made her way up onto the deck. 'Any sign?' she called.

'Aye!' Mister Gibbs called back. 'The Flying Dutchman sighted just ahead of us, but we're keeping a weather eye out for The Seacrawler as well!'

'Good,' Elizabeth said briskly. 'I doubt whether Captain deVere has finished with us yet.'

'You think so?' he questioned.

'I know so,' she replied. 'She's not going to give up and in her place I wouldn't either. We've got, or are going to get, something she wants. But give it a little time and it'll be over.' She moved to the side of the ship and leaned out, narrowing her eyes against the glare of the sun of the shimmering water, looking for a glimpse of The Flying Dutchman. She saw it, ahead of them, waiting, and she smiled in delight and relief.

He was waiting for her.

'Making good time, I see,' Thomas said, coming over.

'I wonder why I bother keeping up on my crew,' she said, not looking at him but keeping her eyes on the ship ahead as The Wandering Albatross gradually caught up with it. 'You don't seem to do any work.'

'I'm a gentleman,' he said haughtily. 'You'd hardly expect me to work with these common pirates – '

Elizabeth turned around and looked at him. 'You think yourself better than them,' she said with a nasty smile, 'but any of these men are worth ten, or even twenty of you. Especially the one I'm going to meet.' She pushed past him and walked away, simply to get away from him before she gave in to her more violent instincts and shoved him overboard. He followed, but kept his distance, as if sensing that her patience with him was wearing extremely thin.

It was almost too long for Elizabeth before The Wandering Albatross finally caught up with The Flying Dutchman.

The moment she saw Will as he climbed on board her ship, she hugged and kissed him fiercely then gave him a hard shove and snapped angrily, 'You _left_ me! You left _me_ behind!'

Will laughed and pulled her back into his arms. 'I had to,' he pointed out. 'I needed to get away from people like Jack and Kira deVere, you know that.'

'Yes,' she conceded. 'Yes, I do. But all thanks to your father.'

'Thanks to me too,' he protested. 'I sent him to tell you what had happened. Don't tell me you thought I had really abandoned you.'

She sighed. 'No, of course I didn't.' She stepped back. 'Where is it? What does this Key to all Desires look like?'

He pulled it out of his pocket. He had spent the night trying to put the thing back together. Elizabeth gasped at the sight of the shimmering glass sphere and gently touched the surface. Will handed it to her.

'There is a small problem – ' he began but was cut off the moment the words were out of her mouth as a loud cry came from Mister Gibbs.

'The Seacrawler, coming up on the starboard bow!' he bellowed.

'Wonderful,' Elizabeth said dryly, stuffing the Key into her pocket. 'It seems we're to split up again?'

'The Flying Dutchman can protect both these ships and sink The Seacrawler if need be,' Will said calmly. 'We'll give her a warning and a chance.'

'Seems fair – ' Elizabeth began.

'You'd think so, wouldn't you?' Jack's voice said.

Everyone turned.

'How did you get out?' Elizabeth demanded wearily, looking at him.

'Get out from where?' Will asked curiously.

'I had him locked in the brig,' she replied.

'But I escaped,' Jack said, grinning.

'Yes, we can see that, but how?' she snapped.

He spread his hands. 'Who am I?'

'You're Captain Jack Sparrow and you haven't answered my question,' she retorted.

He pointed at Will who looked startled. 'Ask him.' He added in a stage whisper, 'A matter of leverage, mate.'

Will's bewildered expression cleared. 'Half-pin barrel hinges.'

Jack nodded, looking pleased with himself.

'What?' Elizabeth said, looking from one pirate to the other.

'It's an old - joke, I suppose,' Will said. 'I'll explain some other time.' He gave Elizabeth a hasty kiss and added, 'I'm heading back to my ship. We'll stand her off together.' Then he was gone.

'You heard him,' Jack said to Elizabeth. 'We're going to stand and fight, apparently. You know you should sink The Seacrawler, don't you?'

'We're not going to kill deVere,' Elizabeth said coldly.

He sniffed. 'You should.'

'Shut up, Jack.' She stamped past him and stopped as Thomas blocked her way. He smiled at her. She glared at him and spun around, meaning to storm off the other way.

He looped an arm around her neck, jerking her head backwards and laying a knife against her throat.

Everyone froze.

'Captain Sparrow,' Thomas said calmly. Elizabeth struggled; he was far stronger than she had given him credit and more agile than she had thought he could be. Even as she struggled and fought furiously, trying to kick him or elbow him or anything to break his hold around her neck, he was too strong for her.

Jack looked at him evenly. 'What?' he said.

'Give me the Key to all Desires or I kill her,' Thomas said.

Jack shrugged. 'She's got it, not me.'

'Don't pretend. I saw you lift it from her pocket.'

'_What?!_' Elizabeth shrieked then gasped as Thomas tightened his grip sharply.

Jack looked sheepish, then rallied. 'Why should I give it to you?'

'If you don't, she dies.'

'She's tried to kill me in the past and succeeded,' Jack said, ignoring the puzzled frown that crossed Thomas's face, 'why should I bother saving her when I've got what I came on this voyage for?'

'Because even if you are a scoundrel, you're essentially a good man,' Thomas said, grinning, 'and if you don't, Captain Turner will kill you for letting his wife die. So make your choice, Sparrow.'

Jack sighed bitterly. 'All right.' He removed the Key from his pocket and rolled it down the deck to Thomas, who crouched, still holding Elizabeth tightly, and hastily scooped it up. Dragging her to the edge of the ship, every crew member watching him intently and furiously, he let go and shoved her forwards and threw himself off the side of the ship. There was a splash as he hit the water.

Elizabeth landed on the deck and, rubbing the marks his fingers had left on her throat, scrambled up and raced to the edge. Thomas was swimming swiftly away.

'He's going to The Seacrawler!' Jack wailed, racing to the side of the ship. He grabbed a hat straight off the head of a surprised crew member, and hurled it after the retreating figure of Thomas.

'I've said it before and I'll say it again,' he growled, 'the deepest circle of hell is reserved for traitors and mutineers.'


	19. Why Fight When You Can Negotiate

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Why Fight When You Can Negotiate?**

'It's over, then,' Elizabeth said dully. She slouched down to sit on the deck, looking totally defeated. 'They have the Key to all Desires and we – have nothing.'

'Well, you're still alive,' Jack pointed out matter-of-factly. 'For you at least, that's got to be a plus.'

She didn't answer, merely gave him a filthy look.

'It's not as bad as you think it is,' Will said.

Jack spun in shock. Elizabeth scrambled to her feet. 'Will!' she exclaimed.

Will was sat on the side of the ship, smiling, looking perfectly relaxed and composed. It was obvious that he knew what had happened, and equally obvious that he wasn't as bothered by it as he perhaps should have been, certainly not as bothered as they were.

'I can't get used to him being able to do that,' Jack said to Elizabeth. 'With Jones, he was a slimy sea monster and it was sort of expected but him – he still looks human.'

'That's because he is,' she snapped.

'Like I said,' Will said pointedly, cutting their bickering off abruptly, 'it's not as bad as you both think.'

They both looked at him as if he were mad.

'Do please - elaborate,' Jack said, rather sarcastically. 'What do you know that we don't?'

'Why? You're worried there's something you don't know about?'

'I just like to have all the facts,' Jack sniffed.

'Now you know how everyone else feels around you most of the time,' Will replied.

'Now who's bickering?' Elizabeth observed, putting her hands on her hips and looking from one to the other.

'When the guardian gave it to me, she took it apart first,' Will said eventually. 'I spent some time trying to put it back together but I couldn't – there's one piece that I couldn't fit into it - then I realised that everyone else was going to be looking for it and I kept the last piece seperate, because it won't work without it.'

'Where's the last piece?' she asked.

He pulled out a thin leather cord out of his shirt and held it up. On the end hung a slender icicle of glass. 'Final piece,' he said, smiling at her.

She laughed, threw her arms around him and kissed him.

'So we're going to go after The Seascrawler,' she said, 'and then what? We threaten to sink her if she doesn't give us back the treasure?'

'Like that'll work,' Jack put in.

They looked at him.

'Kira will fight you,' Jack said. 'She doesn't know that she doesn't stand a chance against The Flying Dutchman, Will.'

'She's a rare pirate,' Mister Gibbs said from behind them, in a suitable tone of foreboding. 'One that has few suspersitions and beliefs of the ghosts and darkness that can haunt the seas. She might know this is The Flying Dutchman, but she'll not believe you're unable to die, Will, and she'll fight you – '

'What's your point?' Will asked impatiently.

'The point is - are you really willing to risk your lovely Elizabeth in a fight?' Jack asked.

Will looked at Elizabeth.

'I'm not staying behind whilst you fight,' she said, accurately reading his mind.

He didn't bother to even try arguing and looked back at Jack. 'I have a feeling I'm going to regret this but what do you suggest we do?'

'Well,' Jack said with a smug grin, 'what do I always say?'

'I'm Captain Jack Sparrow?' Will said.

Jack frowned. 'No.'

'This is the day you almost – something – Captain Jack Sparrow?' Elizabeth asked.

'No.'

'It's a matter of leverage?' Will suggested.

'Where's the rum gone?' Elizabeth said.

'No.'

'Wait for the oppurtune moment?' Will said.

'No.' Jack looked annoyed. 'I meant, why fight when you can negotiate?'

'Oh,' they both said together.

He glared at them and continued, 'We negotiate with Captain deVere.'

'And what exactly do we have to negotiate with?' Will inquired sourly.

'That remaining piece of the Key to all Desires,' Jack said.

'What?' Will shook his head. 'We want to keep that safe, keep it away from her – '

'Of course we do,' Jack said, 'but she doesn't need to know that.'

'Jack, that doesn't really make sense – ' Elizabeth began.

'I know it's hard for you,' Jack said, 'but just trust me and don't do anything stupid, either of you.'

'What's your plan?' Will insisted.

'Look,' Jack said patiently, as if he were talking to a pair of idiots, 'we also have two ships. We could fight her and she could die, unless she's willing to negotiatie. If she attacks The Wandering Albatross then Elizabeth could die. We don't want to fight, we want to negotiate, using the threat of fighting to persuade her to negoictae.'

'I think I understood that,' Will said dryly. He turned to Elizabeth. 'What do you think?'

'I think it's a terrible idea and one we're both going to regret, but I also think that we don't have any better ideas,' she said.

Will turned back to Jack. 'All right,' he said reluctantly. 'The question is, however, if we do succeed in getting the Key to all Desires back off of Kira, which of the three of us gets it?'

'That is a good question,' Elizabeth said. 'Well, Jack?'

He went quiet for a minute. 'Let's just concentrate on getting it back,' he said evasively.

* * *

Thomas was dragged on board The Seacrawler. He spat out salt-water, checking his pockets hastily to make sure that the Key to all Desires was in there.

'You have it?' Kira demanded, striding over.

He nodded.

'Give it to me,' she said.

His eyes narrowed and when she glared down at him, he slowly placed a hand in his pocket, pulled it out, and handed it over.

Kira smiled, turning the small globe of glass over and over in her hands. 'I'm surprised you're giving this to me,' she observed, rather suspiciously.

'I have my reasons,' he said shortly.

'You do? You didn't want to use it yourself?'

He shrugged. 'I have desires, but I always like to gain my desires for myself through hard work and – anyway. I have my reasons for giving this to you.'

'I'm sure you do,' she murmured.

'You will honour our agreement?' he added, suddenly worried, as he got to his feet.

She smiled. 'Many pirates wouldn't. But your mercenary, ruthless streak has rather impressed me. I'll take you to land, the port of your choice. After all, I now owe you a debt and I always repay my debts.' She held the sphere up against the sunlight.

'You can't use it yet,' Thomas added. 'It has to be under a full moon.'

'Does it?' she asked, looking startled. 'Interesting. Full moon is tomorrow night. I'm sure I can wait until then but we must leave – '

'Captain!' a crew man yelled.

She spun.

'The Wandering Albatross and the other ship are coming up fast behind us!'

She frowned. 'Can we outrun them?'

'No, captain, they're coming too fast! We're a fast ship but that strange ship is faster! She's going to circle around and cut us off, trapping us between her and The Wandering Albatross!'

'This is one of the fastest ships in these waters and we have to run up against probably the only one that's faster,' Kira fumed. 'All right. We may have to fight, gentlemen. Or, knowing Jack Sparrow, negotiate.'


	20. Parley

**Chapter Twenty**

**Parley**

'Remind me why we agreed to this again,' Will murmured to Elizabeth.

She smiled briefly. 'Because it was the only idea anyone could come up with at such short notice.'

'Basically, because we didn't have anything better to try.'

'Pretty much.'

'We're screwed.'

'Pretty much.'

'You're lucky I saw fit to allow you onto my ship,' Kira said coldly, viewing her unexpected guests with an icy expression.

'You didn't have much choice,' Jack informed her. 'We're two ships, you're one. It's in everyone's interest to negotiate.'

'Hardly,' Kira replied. 'I have the Key to all Desires. You have done nothing but put yourselves in danger.'

'Not really,' Will said. 'If you kill any of us, our ships will sink yours.'

'I could kill just one of you,' she said. 'I'd start with you because you annoy me.'

Will spread his arms and smiled innocently at her. 'Go ahead. Try it.'

Something in his expression made her pause, then she shook her head and continued, 'I have the treasure you have been searching for, Sparrow. And you owe me debts.'

'I'm not so good at paying debts off,' Jack said.

'Don't we know it,' Will muttered.

'I know,' she said grimly. 'Maybe it's you I'll shoot first.'

'Now, why do we always have to argue and threaten to kill each other?' Jack asked in placating tones. 'We was friends once, Kira. What happened? What made us fall out so badly, darlin?'

'Because you always double-cross me.'

'You know what they say – double-cross me once, shame on you, double-cross me twice, shame on - '

'Stop talking, Jack,' Will said quietly.

'Yes, do,' Kira said acidly. 'If you don't, I really will shoot you.'

'You can't,' Will said. 'We're here under the protection of parley.'

'And even you, not born a pirate or raised a pirate, will dare to break the Code, at least as far as parley is concerned,' Jack added smugly.

Kira glared at her and then looked at Will. 'You I'll talk to,' she said, 'not that we have much to discuss, I might add. You seem to be slightly more sane than him and besides, I don't like him.'

'You like him better than me?' Jack said, sounding offended.

'Hardly the first time,' Will said to Jack. He turned to Kira. 'We want the Key to all Desires. I collected it from the Lost Cavern. It's mine.'

'Finders keepers,' Kira said, smiling.

'Thievers keepers,' Jack muttered. Elizabeth kicked him.

'In that case, I still found it,' Will replied. 'Rochford stole it from me and I want it back.'

'And if I don't give it back?' Kira said softly.

Will's eyes met her without wavering. 'Then I will sink your ship. You won't stand a chance.'

She laughed. 'You're a noble man,' she said, making it clear that this was not a compliment. 'You won't sink my ship and kill me and my crew for selfish ends. I know that, you know that, everyone here knows that.'

There was a pause.

'She's got a point,' Jack said.

'We don't even know she's got it,' Elizabeth said suddenly.

Everyone looked at her.

She nodded, eyes on Kira. 'You could just be pretending. Or Thomas could have simply handed you something worthless and just told you it was the Key. You'd never know the difference, you've only got his word for it, after all.'

Everyone looked at Thomas.

He raised his hands. 'I'm an honest man,' he said. 'I've never cheated or swindled anyone and I keep my promises.'

'An honest man who stole that particular piece of treasure and tried to steal another man's wife,' Jack pointed out. 'Not that honest after all.'

Thomas glowered at him.

'Just how us the Key,' Elizabeth said to Kira. 'Then we'll know we're not just wasting our time.'

'You're wasting your time anyway,' Kira said. 'Why should I bother showing you the Key? It's mine now, not yours.'

'Humour me,' Elizabeth said grimly.

Kira hesitated, then seemed to decide that she didn't have anything to lose. They were all on her ship, after all. She had the obvious advantage. She put a hand inside her coat pocket and pulled out the Key to all Desires.'

Everyone looked at it.

Then Will dove forwards, slamming into Kira, sending the Key flying up into the air. He reached out, and caught it deftly in one hand.

There was a long silence. Everyone stared at him.


	21. Crossed Swords

_Just imagine this chapter in high speed, okay? It took me ages to write and it's not quite perfect, so just imagine it how it would look on screen and you should get an idea of what was going through my head when I wrote it. Try having the piece of music 'Up Is Down' from At World's End playing, I've found it helps._

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Crossed Swords**

Jack moved to swipe the treasure from Will's hand. Will jerked his hand back and shook his head. 'I can't let you have it, Jack,' he said quietly.

Jack nodded, stepped back, drew his sword and gave a little bow. 'Then once again, my dear William, we fight,' he said.

'Stop this,' Elizabeth said, however vain she knew the attempt was. 'Just stop, _now._'

Kira deVere drew her sword and pointed it at Will. 'Give over the treasure,' she said.

Will flicked his sword to point at her, then back to Jack. 'No,' he said.

'This is insane,' Elizabeth said, throwing her hands up into the air. 'Why does no one else see this?'

'I knew I could rely on you,' Jack said to Kira with a wide grin.

Her sword pointed at him, then back at Will. 'Hardly, Jack Sparrow.'

'Each for themselves,' Thomas said and drew his sword, pointing it at Will.

'Why is everyone ganging up on me?' Will inquired.

'You have the treasure we all want,' Kira said.

'And we all want something that only that item can give us,' Thomas added.

'You two at least should remember that this never solved anything!' Elizabeth snapped at Will and Jack, looking from one to the other. They both ignored her.

She threw her hands up into the air again and spat a few choice curse words.

'How about we negotiate?' Jack suggested. 'Maybe we can all help each other out?'

'I don't negotiate with scum like yourself, Sparrow,' Kira replied smoothly. 'You made a fool out of me and I don't forget that easily.'

'Oh, I see,' Jack said, 'you just want the treasure because I want it and you want it because you're angry at me and by taking it, you think you'll get some revenge on me because I want it and Will wants it because he now knows why I want it and he wants to use it for something he wants and Thomas here wants it because he knows that Will wants it and he wants to use it for almost the same thing that Will wants it for.'

There was a pause as everyone worked this out.

'That was the case,' Kira said, 'until I discovered what it is. Now I just want it and never mind you. We all have things that our hearts desire, Sparrow. Give it over, Turner,' she snapped, looking back at Will.

'No,' Will said.

Jack made a dive for the Key. Will jerked his hand back and Thomas snatched it from him. Instantly everyone turned on him. Thomas slashed his sword through the air, attempting to keep them all back. Will and Jack each moved to one side of him and Kira lunged straight at him. Thomas parried a blow from her, then swung wildly and forced her to skip back. He spun and blocked a sword thrust from Jack and Will snatched the glass from his hand.

Kira slammed into Will, ramming him against the side of the ship and elbowed him in the face as she did so, grabbing for the glass as she did so. Will jerked it over his head, out of her reach and Jack grabbed it.

He dove to the ground and slid along the wet deck, knocking Thomas flying as he did so. Leaping to his feet he grabbed a rope and slashed it. It sent him soaring up into the rigging.

Everyone looked up. He landed neatly on the mast, and waved down at them all and held up the Key to all Desires, pointed to it, and grinned.

Unfortunately, his moment of smug triumph was ruined when an unexpected wave rocked the ship and he almost fell. Grabbing onto the rigging to steady himself, he lost his grip on the smooth glass and it tumbled from his grip.

The entire crew gasped and raced forwards to try and catch it.

Elizabeth shoved a couple of men out of her way, reached up, and snatched the glass out of the air. Before anyone could react, she hurled it to Will. He grabbed it, and, as both Kira and Thomas sprinted towards him, threw it over their heads back to Elizabeth.

She reached up but it was caught by Jack who swung by on a long piece of rope. He swung past, almost crashed into the mast, and landed in a heap on the deck.

Kira was the first to reach him. Jack managed to jerk his sword up and block her blow, but was unable to get back on his feet and was forced to block blow after blow propped up on his knees, with one hand because the other one was holding the glass.

Thomas smashed into Kira, sending her into Jack and sending them both crashing to the ground. Seeing the glass in Jack's madly waving hand he grabbed it, spun, and ran straight into Will's boot. The kick sent him sprawling onto the deck along with the other two and he dropped the Key to all Desires.

It rolled crazily down the deck. Everyone fought to get it and there was an instant brawl on the deck as the crew fought furiously, hitting and kicking and punching each other to get hold of the Key.

Eventually, it dawned on everyone that the Key wasn't there and slowly the fight ceased.

'Where is it?' Elizabeth demanded, straightening her coat and hat and looking around angrily.

'No idea,' Jack said, sounding annoyed. He looked at the crew. 'All right, which one of you lot has it?'

There was a resounding silence, then Kira spoke. She was holding the Key in one hand and a pistol aimed at Jack in the other. 'Get off my ship,' she said quietly. 'Or you will all die.' She gave a sharp nod and instantly all her crew had pistols pointing at Jack, Elizabeth and Will.

'You don't really think this is over, do you?' Will asked.

'Yes, I do,' Kira said, sounding satisfied. 'Because I have the Key and this is my ship and my crew and if I order you all dead, you will die. But I have decided to be merciful today and allow you all to live if you leave my ship. Now.'

There was a short silence as the three exchanged glances.

'All right,' Jack said cheerfully. 'Win a few, lose a few. Bye Kira, enjoying whatever wish you make. Hope it's worth it.'

'Let's go,' Elizabeth said. 'Back to our ships.'

Kira looked at them in suspicion. 'You're giving in, just like that?'

'You won,' Will said blandly. 'Fair and square. Well, fairish. Actually, not fair at all but in the end, you still won. Don't worry, we're going.'

Kira watched them warily and uneasily as they made their way to their boat and left The Seacrawler behind.


	22. A Change Of Plan

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**A Change Of Plan**

'That was probably the worst plan you've ever come up with,' Will said.

'And that's actually saying quite a lot,' Elizabeth said sourly.

'That's a bit unfair,' Will added. 'His plans are usually much better than that.'

'Even I am entitled to make a mistake once a life time,' Jack replied haughtily.

'_Once?_' Elizabeth muttered. Jack glared at her. 'The last mistake you made got Will killed,' she snapped.

His eyes widened in moral outrage. 'You what? You're blaming me for that?'

'In your last crazy scheme, did you intend for him to get killed?'

'No – '

'Then it was a mistake.'

'Are you saying that you blame me for him being stupid enough to get himself killed?'

'Elizabeth, stop trying to annoy him,' Will said absently.

'Yeah, Elizabeth, stop trying to annoy me,' Jack said.

She glared at him. 'Will – '

'She doesn't blame you,' Will continued in the same absent tone. 'Although you did make a few mistakes then and now.'

'Why bring it up then?' Jack muttered to Elizabeth.

'You were forever bringing up me leaving you to the kraken,' she snapped.

'Now that,' he said, pointing at her, 'was your fault.'

'My fault?! If you hadn't been such a coward in the first place I would never have had to – '

'Shut up, both of you,' Will said in a long-suffering tone, as if he were talking to a pair of children.

'It was a complete waste of time doing that,' Elizabeth complained. 'Why did we bother?We could have just blow her out of the water. I'm sure one of your crew could wander down and get the Key, Will.'

'You heard the lady,' Jack said. 'William is far too noble to sink anyone who hasn't actually harmed him or anyone he cares about. She just stole something, that's all. That's hardly a sinking offence.'

'Well, your idea was still awful.'

'I didn't hear you having any better idea,' Jack shot back.

'Things aren't as bad as you think,' Will reminded them both. 'I still have the missing piece.'

'But they still have the Key and we're in exactly the same situation we were in an hour ago,' Elizabeth said irritably.

'Yes, we are,' Will agreed. 'Now Kira can't use the Key without the missing piece and she's sure to find that out sooner rather than later.'

'So now we just need to get the rest back,' she said. 'Here's an idea. We follow The Seacrawler and we wait until Kira is ready to negociate for the missing part of the Key and then we take it off of her. And mayeb we really do sink her.'

'She must suspect that we know something she doesn't,' Will added. 'We left so suddenly and without any fuss – she knows something's going on. We just leave her to worry about it for a bit and maybe then she'll be ready to negociate with us. We might just be able to pay her off, gold in exchange for the Key, you never know.'

'I hope that by that 'we' you were also referring to me,' Jack said.

They looked at each other then at him.

'Here's a proposition for you,' Jack said, raising his hands. 'We three work together and go after The Seacrawler, and then, when we find her and the treasure, we can fight over who gets it?'

'You just want a ship to go and find it,' Elizabeth said.

He blinked. 'That's why I got you involved in the first place, love.' He looked at Will. 'What do you say?'

'I say I already have a ship,' Will replied. 'And I can find The Seacrawler without you or your compass.'

'Ah!' Jack said, waving a finger, 'but your bonny lass can't travel on your ship when you go underwater, can she? So she needs her ship and unless she wants to leave me floating out on the sea all by me lonesome savvy, what choice do you have?'

Will and Elizabeth looked at each other again.

'There's plenty of holes in that argument but he'll probably find a way to follow us anyway,' Will said. 'And I'd rather have him where we can see him.'

'That's the spirit!' Jack said brightly.

Elizabeth scowled at him. 'I'll be watching you, Jack,' she said.

'After the treasure, then,' Jack said, 'and may the best pirate win.' He held out a hand and after a moment both Will and Elizabeth shook it.


End file.
